Six makes the Sky
by Lulu-ichigo
Summary: The sky cannot exist without them. Vongola tribute. Collection of oneshots that remind us how much Decimo loves his famiglia. chapter 18: Cloud. Tsuna sees his cloud in a different light through these little discoveries. Written for Hibari's bday.
1. Mist

A/N: hello dear readers! Okay. Another future Tsuna x guardians comin' your way. And no, it is not yaoi or anything like that. Just a little tribute to his guardians and to the love our beloved Decimo gives to them. XD read on and enjoy~

XXX

**We exist for the sky. Without him, we are nothing.**

The mist is the farthest from the sky. He drapes just above the air; almost near enough to touch the blue and yet too far away to stay and be with him. He will continue to linger in that state forever and there is nothing he can do about it.

He is not part of the sky and yet he continues to exist for him.

XXX

He hears a rather quiet knock on his mahogany door and he answers it with a calm voice; they were careful not to disturb anyone. It was the dead of night, and everybody needed a good night's sleep.

"Come in."

The hinges creak and the doors open and there stood his only female guardian.

Tsuna smiles and Chrome responds by walking forward, asking for the hand of her boss.

"No need for formalities," he holds her outstretched hand and squeezes them lightly. "Please, sit."

The violet haired illusionist nods obediently and sits.

"Have you contacted him?" he asks.

"Yes, Boss. I called out to him a couple of weeks ago, since you asked. He wasn't answering. But he finally spoke to me just now," the petite woman almost smiled, as if by joy. "He _asks_ for you."

Vongola's Decimo nodded, knowing he must have heard the news by now.

Chrome stood up and bowed at him, and soon, the room filled with mist.

"Kufufufu.~"

Tsunayoshi closes his eyes, picturing his true mist guardian's figure standing there in front of him, watching him breathe as he replaced Chrome.

"It's been a long time, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"It has," he opens his eyes, and he met with his mismatched orbs. "Mukuro."

The mist guardian stood rather amused as he stared at the young mafia boss in front of him. "Kufufufu.~" his smile grew wider, as if teasing, or implying something. "What is this thing I've been hearing about you? I'm rather intrigued."

Tsunayoshi smiles back, only his is that of an innocent soul. "And what is this hearsay you're so interested in, may I ask?"

Mukuro walks closer, and finally, when he stood just in front of Decimo's desk, he narrows his eyes at him and says; "You're applying for _my_ freedom."

Tsuna laughs gently, sitting back. "I see. That's why you did not reply to Chrome's pleas. You were gathering information about that matter. You wanted to know if that was true without asking _me_." He said in a matter-of-factly way and looks back in his dangerous eyes.

The illusionist only smirks. "Oh really? What a risky conclusion you've got there, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"But it is true, is it not?" he smiles again. "I know your ways, Mukuro. I know them too well _now_."

The blue haired guardian leans closer, still deceiving; still dangerous. "Do you? I wonder about that…"

Tsunayoshi's amber eyes slightly narrowed as he still held that gaze on him. "I find it so amusing to see you give up your pride only to satisfy your curiosity."

His statement must have hit something for the mist guardian laughed out loud after that.

"I see you know how to _tease_ people now, Tsunayoshi-kun." Mukuro grinned, amused at how he got cornered by the young Mafioso.

Decimo scratched his head and smiled. "I suppose I do."

Then, a fleeting silence covered the two of them, as Tsuna spoke now, telling the illusionist what he wanted to know.

"I did file a petition to free you, Mukuro," He answered simply, placing his elbows on his wooden table. "Or to shorten your sentence; anything that will work."

Mukuro raised his eyebrows in utter surprise. "Excuse me?"

"The rumors you have been hearing are all true. I am trying to regain you freedom."

"Kuhahahahaha!" another roar of laughter pierced the tense aura of the situation, making Decimo wonder what his guardian had found so amusing in the words he had said. "You? _Begging_ for _my_ freedom? My, Tsunayoshi-kun… did you miss me that badly to make you do this?"

"Maybe," Tsuna flashed him a bashful smile. "But you are _my_ guardian, Mukuro. It was you and not Chrome who bears the responsibility and the title. And I certainly will not just sit here and wait for you to be released. I _will_ get you out of that prison, no matter what it takes; no matter what the cost. So, just wait a little longer. I think I'll be able to convince them _this time_."

Mukuro shook his head. He heard that the Vongola boss had tried so many times to appeal his case to Vendicare; and the number is almost enough to make him disbelieve it.

He smiled, and that smile developed in to a chuckle, and now, in to another laugh.

"What a stubborn person you are, Tsunayoshi-kun." He dissipated in to mist, leaving Decimo wondering where he will appear next. "You never changed at all…"

Tsuna blinked as a gloved hand touched his cheek, and Rokudo Mukuro appeared in front of him, leaning dangerously close; he could feel his breath touch his face as he stared at his blue and red eyes. The Vongola was caught off guard. He knew the danger (just a scratch of that trident of his meant bye bye), but somehow he didn't feel alarmed.

His illusionist leaned closer to his ear and he heard the words he thought he'd never hear from him.

"_Thank you."_

His voice sounded mixed; there was something female in it, and he concluded that it was Chrome.

"Boss," when the illusionist pulled away he was a different person now. He was right. Mukuro had now left, leaving Chrome in his stead.

She smiled so wide from happiness and her boss smiled back.

"You're welcome."

XXX

**Six makes the sky. Without them, he is nothing.**

From above, he watches dearly and reaches out to the mist, and the distance between them isn't so vast anymore.

The mist is not a part of the sky but the sky continues to exist because of him.

~Fin~

A/N: soggy like the noodles uncle kawahira always gets… XD okay. That's it. Stay tuned for the next chappie! I'll update tomorrow maybe. Thanks for reading! And leave some reviews for me please.~ ^^


	2. Storm, Rain and Lightning

A/N: … I'm so happy I got six reviews already. ^^ thank you to those who left one! And about this chappie... This was inspired by 'And every breath we drew was Hallelujah' by Jusrecht. I got so touched by that story I'm ranting about it right now. So whether the author knows about it or not, here's chappie the second.

Disclaimer: last time I forgot to include it…so okay. I don't own KHR. Damn it. .

XXX

**We exist for the sky. Without him, we are nothing.**

The storm protects and fights for the sky. Everything that stands in his path shall bow down to him if ever they defied his sky. And with the storm comes the rain; pouring down like a gavel bringing judgement, offering closure and peace. Lastly there comes the lightning, striking down from the sky like a sword of light which brings a presage to others that if they stand in the way, if they dare to disturb their sky, they will surely fall.

The Storm, the Rain and the Lightning are the Sky's knights and they live and will die for his sake.

XXX

The rain was pouring so hard that night, he wondered if a storm had arrived.

He treaded faster and faster, almost breaking in to a dash but his feet weighed more than lead as Chrome's shaking voice replayed in his mind over and over again as he went past the white halls of the hospital. His grip on the green wrapped gift tightened as grim thoughts flashed in his mind.

'_B-Boss… H-Hurry, p-pl-please…'_

He shoved the swinging doors open with desperation, and his heart sank and he felt the gift slip out of his hands and fall to the floor as he saw his thirteen year old lightning guardian covered in blood, crying and sobbing like a child (he still was) in Haru's arms. His family looked back at him, and sadness was hanging in the air.

"Lambo…" he whispers and his chest tightens and he catches his breath.

"Tsuna-kun," Haru looks at him with eyes worried and terrified. She holds the child tighter in her arms as if in fear to loose him.

Ryohei stared in shock and could not even utter a word as the scene unfolded before him, and Kyoko bursts in to bitter tears as she ran to her brother and wept. Reborn frowned. _This_ day had finally come. He curses inwardly, somehow blaming himself for not warning his student enough.

'_Your enemies will drag you down and take everything you hold dear in its wake.'_

"L-Lambo," Tsuna calls, his voice wavered but he cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, Boss." Chrome kept her eyes down. "If o-only I had been a minute earlier, I –"

Tsuna touches her shoulder, looking at her to say it's not her fault. He had sent the illusionist out to a mission that day, and he understands. Chrome frowns further and squeezes his boss' hand and shakes her head. Tsuna frowned, feeling like he doesn't have enough strength to assure her. He shifts his gaze to his lightning guardian once more.

"Lambo?" he touches his bloodstained shirt gently, recognizing the blood _must_ have not been his, and his hands were so numb he can't even tell if he had made contact with his youngest guardian.

Lambo's eyes drifted unsteadily at his figure, sobbing uncontrollably. He had a cut on his cheek that was now treated, and had a bruise on his forehead that was redder than blue and black. He couldn't even breathe properly as his sobs came one after another, making him choke and cough.

Tsuna felt the air around him become dense and his chest twisted like some tangled wire; he felt suffocated. He reached out and took him in his arms, and he caressed his messy hair.

"Shhh…" he tries to calm him, but he felt a lump rise to his throat and he holds back his tears because he was the sky, and the sky is meant to be strong and he can and he should shoulder their grief.

"I-I…I Sh-Should ha-have…" the young guardian sobs and interrupts himself, but he knows he's got to be strong, because he knew he was the weakest of all of them. "It sh-should have b-been me… I-I should ha-have been…I should have… Taken th-those wounds, I –"

"Shh," Tsuna silences him and he rocks back and forth like a mother lulling her baby to sleep. "It's going to be alright," he assures him, and he tells himself he _will_ make it alright.

"I'm sorry," Lambo says in a broken voice, and Tsuna knew that wasn't the only thing broken in his lightning's being. "I'm s-sorry, I…"

"It's alright…" Tsuna's voice was still warm and still kind, and he whispered to Lambo the words he should hear. A part of him dies inside, because he knew tonight his guardian's innocence was no more and he alone is to blame. "It's going to be alright, so… Don't cry." He looks at him and forces out a smile as he wiped off his tears. "Don't cry."

Lambo never did stop, but he nodded and Tsuna broke off from their embrace.

'_We'll be home soon,'_

He remembers the laughter in their voices as he called.

'_Happy Birthday, Lambo.'_

He hears himself greet over the phone from some distant country, and Reborn sneaks a tease and Ryohei shouts his greetings along with it.

He hears his storm's constant worries about his safety; he hears his rain's bright laugh and it rang in his ears like a declaration of death.

He longed to see his famiglia and now there he was with them, but the sight was so painful he could not even bring to open his eyes after he blinked.

'_Juudaime, be careful alright!'_

His heart breaks when he opens the door and he sees his storm lying there, attended by many doctors and nurses, and the chaos around him seemed not suited for him even if he once was the bringer of it. He catches a glimpse of his silver hair tainted with crimson, and his stomach almost turned and he felt dizzy.

'_Ahaha, come back quickly ok? Tsuna.'_

He clenched his fists hard as he glanced to his rain, breathing shallowly and looking pale. He promised himself that the incident with the Shimon won't ever happen again, and he hates himself for not keeping his promise. He watches the slow rising and falling of his guardian's chest, and he was frightened by every second that passes because his rain might stop breathing forever.

Oh how he wished to God he could take their place and take all the suffering and all the agony.

He pulled his eyes away, scared that he might lose his sanity. He returns to his wrecked family, and they shifted their gaze to him.

"Tsu-kun?" Nana calls out to her only son. Her eyes were cheerless and she held Haru in her arms.

"Don't worry," Tsuna smiles, but he looked more pained than assuring. "It's going to be alright."

The poison scorpion looks at him, a deep frown embedded on her beautiful face.

Tsuna can't bring himself to look at her. Her little brother might have been safe and sound and not here, lying on his death bed, if he hadn't sworn his loyalty to him.

"It'll be alright." He said once more, and he turned to walk away.

"Tsuna-nii?" Fuuta called in alarm. "Where are you going?"

Tsuna stops, turns to face the ranking prince and he smiles weakly and they knew what he was thinking.

"Sawada, let me go with you." His sun said, and his little sister looked up to him, unwilling to let him go.

"I'll go too, boss." Chrome materialized her trident and she put on a serious face; one that she doesn't normally make.

"Stay here." Tsuna said, voice void of any emotion. "Guard the family."

"But –"

"_Stay._" He said with voice stern, and he let out some anger slip out of the shell that kept him as a person and he thought for a moment he was going to lose it.

"What do you think you're doing, Tsuna?" his ex-tutor finally spoke, eyeing him from where he stood.

"What do you think _I'm_ doing, Reborn?" he faces the cursed infant, now unable to control his fury.

"Acting now won't be very wise." He adjusted his fedora and looked at him in the eye.

"What do you want me to do then?" adrenaline was drowning him and he felt light headed. "Ignore this and let _them_ rejoice!"

"Your guardians might _die_ tonight, Tsuna." His voice was more a warning than of a reminder. "Vengeance can wait, Life can't. They need you."

Haru and Kyoko broke in to another cry and Bianchi turned away to conceal her tears.

Tsuna wanted to grab his former tutor and punch him for what he said; ask him to take them back, but somewhere in his thoughts he knew that was the truth, and it was a hard pill to swallow.

If only he could turn back time, he'd want to be that same useless student that he was, with all his friends and loved ones, rather than to be a powerful man of the underworld, with a battered soul and a broken family.

He wished time could go back to when everything was just normal and the mafia was just a word he never even thought to utter.

"I'm sorry." He exhaled and he looked back in his tutor's midnight eyes.

Reborn turned away, finding that his words are useless to hold his student down. "Be quick. Return alive." he knew vengeance doesn't do any good, but he understood. He knew what it's like to drown in it.

Tsuna closed his eyes and he turned his back and walked away.

He hears Kyoko's pleas, and Haru calls his name out, and his mother's muffled cry stabs his heart.

He bleeds but he continues to move because he is the sky. It is his responsibility.

He pulls out his cell phone and he dials a number.

"Hibari-san," he calls out and he puts on the mask of a murderer. "It's the Vanto."

His cloud guardian smiles sadistically from the phone and Tsuna senses the bloodlust in his voice.

"Make them suffer."

He looks out at the dark sky, feeling the rain pour over his face.

'_I'll come home soon.'_

Pure flames of wrath burst from his forehead and from his hands, making the drops of water turn in to vapour as soon as they hit him. He looks ahead, and he foresees destruction.

Hours later, the country was thrown in to frenzy as news reported a horrible fire had struck a certain manor in the west of Italy mortally injuring almost all of the residents there. Fire fighters struggled to extinguish the flames, as it refuses to die off, no matter what method they try. It continues to rage on until it turns everything to ash.

On France chaos was evident as grim news spread about the horrendous incident occurring within a string of villas to the south of the said country. Over five thousand men were beaten severely, and some unlucky ones died. Some dared to link it to some powerful names, but others knew better. They should not stick their noses in to unknown matters.

XXX

**Six makes the Sky. Without them, he is nothing.**

The Sky will be their knight this time.

~Fin~

A/N: SORRY! I can't resist the urge to be so angsty and dramatic. T.T but I've not actually murdered Gokudera and Yamamoto…yet. anyway, I think I tainted tuna's kindness. *avoids the pineapples you throw at me* so fell free to torture me in the reviews. Thank you for reading!


	3. Sun

A/N: *gasp* I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. Okay. Here's a crack fic. Or one that is trying to be. I might fail miserably to make you laugh, and actually I'm not good at it, so yeah, hit me with that tonfa. The family might be OOC here. I have warned you.

XXX

**We exist for the sky. Without him, we are nothing.**

The sun is the sky's light. He illuminates all and gives energy and life to the sky.

He'll always be there, and he'll never waver no matter what the misfortune.

XXX

Tsuna thought being a mafia boss was all about danger and fights.

But when he assumed the position, it wasn't death threats that slapped him first on the face.

It was paper work. _A heaping mountain of them._

He worked hours and hours on them, and all of them had to be read through and through, and in the end of the day they all need just one damn thing: his signature.

Gokudera helped him most of the time, but even with the two of them, they're no match for the tower of files and papers that await them once they finish the first batch.

And yes he was drowning in stress. More stress than Squalo goes thru. Yeah, he'll be bald by next week if he doesn't get a break.

Sometimes he finds himself suddenly dozing off, wishing to himself that being in the mafia was like those in the movies.

"SAWADA!"

Tsuna's head slips from his hand and hits his head on the mahogany table and wakes up from his brief slumber. He rubs his head with a hand and brushes the sand away from his eyes. "O-Onii-san…"

"I've finished my EXTREME report!" he shouts proudly and walks toward his boss.

A small smile made its way on Tsuna's lips. "Thank you, onii-san." He reaches out and took the folder Ryohei is holding. He flipped it open and scanned it.

Normally, his sun guardian immediately leaves after he gives his report, but today is different. He stayed there like a scarecrow, watching Tsuna.

"Is there a problem?" Decimo asks and blinks.

"… Actually…" his tone made Tsuna feel cold. He is neither shouting nor saying extreme. What is up with that?

"Yes…?" the Vongola boss hoped it's not as bad as what he was thinking.

"There is a bit of…a problem…its Hibari."

The young Decimo became a little pale. "What's wrong with him?"

"He kinda…" Ryohei trailed off, unsure if he should continue.

"What? Did something bad happen?" Tsuna's face turned completely worried within a blink of an eye.

"Hibari is _extremely_ drunk."

Tsuna's amber eyes almost popped out from its sockets as he heard the word drunk and Hibari in the same sentence. His jaws dropped and he almost choked on his breath.

"What?" he blurted out and panic was spelled on his face. "Where is he now?"

"At the underground training facility." His sun swallowed.

Tsuna face palmed. He had strictly ordered to forbid all alcoholic drinks within a fifty mile radius when Hibari is around. There are some…_unpleasant_ effects when the cloud guardian drank alcohol. And mind you, it isn't pretty.

"Who's keeping him in place?" Tsuna sighed and stood from his seat and motioned Ryohei to follow him.

"Gokudera and Yamamoto," Ryohei said as they walked side by side, their steps getting faster by the second. "Mukuro and Lambo are…extremely unconscious at the moment."

"He took out _Mukuro_…?" Tsuna stared in shock at him for a moment.

"Yeah… he was the first one," Ryohei nodded. "He passed out when Hibari –"

"Okay, I get the idea," Tsuna raised a hand to stop Ryohei from talking and turned a little paler than before and they arrived at the elevator. Decimo pushed a button and the doors opened. They got in.

"And Chrome?" Tsuna asked nervously. Chrome is his only female guardian (Tsuna let her share the position with Mukuro,) after all; and for the love of God she had to deal with men every freaking day. And the thought of her being treated like _that_ by the drunken Hibari…Tsuna got the chills.

"I don't know," Ryohei murmured. "Gokudera was throwing a lot of explosives and it was raining and –"

Tsuna had cut off his hearing and felt dizzy. The first time (and he hoped was the last) Hibari got drunk he thought he was going to die… and the Vongola would go broke. It was in Hawaii; the cloud guardian had taken some punch accidentally. And after a few minutes… the entire resort they were staying at got destroyed completely. A lot of women fainted, and a lot of men ran for their lives and their pride. And Reborn was just watching; with that amused smirk plastered on his face as Tsuna went flying here and there, trying to find Hibari among the running people and the smoke and rubble.

In the end Tsuna managed to finally catch the culprit but sadly he got an unexpected surprise and a hit on the face with that tonfa of his.

He also had to bribe all the people in the said resort so that Hibari's secret won't go out.

The elevator doors opened and water and smoke gushed in, snapping Tsuna off from his thoughts.

"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU FREAK!"

Decimo recognized the voice, as he saw Gokudera's Sistema C.A.I floating in the air.

"W-Wait! Can't we talk about this first, Hibari?"

His rain's voice echoed nervously and Tsuna knew they were running.

Ryohei walked in to the massive room and found Chrome sitting quietly beside the unconscious Mukuro.

"Chrome!" Tsuna called out immediately and ran toward her.

"B-B-Bo-Bossu!" the illusionist stuttered and she could beat a tomato with the color on her face.

"Did Hibari …?"

Chrome shook her head fast and her hair shook with her action. Her blush darkened and looked at the other (unconscious) mist guardian. "He…He…H-He…" she swallowed hard and stammered as she gazed at Mukuro, "Ki… K-Ki… Ki –"

Tsuna's palm met his face again. She saw _it_. At that moment he knew this girl in front of him wouldn't be normal anymore. "It's alright, Chrome. Hibari… He does that when he's drunk. It's perfectly normal! He even did it to me once –"

"B-Bossu was…you…b-by Hibari-san…?" at this moment Tsuna thought all of Chrome's blood had travelled to her face and she would burst like a balloon any minute now.

"That didn't help at all, did it…?" Tsuna murmured as he inwardly cursed himself.

"TENTH!"

The three turned their heads as Gokudera called loudly, making everyone stop in their tracks, even Hibari.

"Something extreme is telling me that what octopus head just did was a bad idea…"

The drunk cloud guardian unsteadily focused his eyes at the three (Tsuna, Ryohei and Chrome) and they stared right back at him.

"You…herbivores… what are you doing… crowding in that corner?" he pointed at them, his face tinted with pink. His suit was torn and his undershirt was unbuttoned.

"Ah…haha…" Tsuna scratched his head. This is going to be tough.

"I'll… Bite you…" Hibari didn't even finish his catchphrase and charged at them.

Ryohei and Chrome dashed off in the same direction while Tsuna ran in the opposite way.

Unfortunately, Tsuna was the one Hibari chased.

"Tenth!" Gokudera called out and chased after Hibari, aiming his flame arrow at the cloud guardian.

"W-Wait!" Decimo shouted at the top of his lungs and kept running. "Don't shoot!"

"But tenth!" his storm reasoned and still chased Hibari.

"I can handle it."

Sky flames came surging from the Vongola boss and made Gokudera stop and back off a little, as he got blinded by the sudden outburst of flames.

Hibari halted and jumped a few paces away from Tsuna and assumed his usual fighting stance.

"We're too old to play tag aren't we, Kyoya?" now in his hyper dying will mode, Tsuna loosened his tie and began walking toward Hibari.

"Hmph." His cloud smirked. "I couldn't agree more."

And within a blink of an eye, sky and cloud flames clashed with each other, making a wave that silenced all.

"Tenth!"

"Tsuna!"

"Bossu!"

"EXTREME!"

Another shockwave came and then they saw Tsuna standing there amongst the broken concrete floor, and there was something very wrong from what they saw.

Gokudera never thought (and he hoped he never would) he'd see this sight again.

Hibari had kissed his boss. _Again_.

"Hmmfh," Tsuna's orange eyes widened in alarm as he drowned in his cloud's lips. He tried to push him away, but Hibari clearly had the upper hand.

"I…I think we should do something," Yamamoto blinked at the scene, and then looked at his fellow guardians.

They looked at him (with the exception of Chrome) and shot him an 'I know' glance and dashed off to rescue Tsuna from Hibari's obvious sexual harassment, but surprisingly the cloud guardian collapsed.

Decimo caught him and the once hysterical Hibari lay peacefully in his arms.

"Did he…faint?" Yamamoto peered at the unconscious guardian.

"Yeah, he's probably exhausted from releasing too much flames." the flame on Tsuna's forehead extinguished.

"Tch, how dare he _lay_ his lips on the tenth!" Gokudera accused loudly and angrily.

Tsuna can't help to smile at his right hand man's statement. _'Don't shout it out loud; it's making me more embarrassed than I already am.'_

And then, they heard a thump sound. They turned their heads to where the sound came from.

Chrome had fainted now, and a stream of red liquid was streaming from her nose.

Another sigh escaped Tsuna's lips. He knew from that moment on, another soul had joined the yaoi community.

XXX

"So? Who did it?" Tsuna crossed his arms and a little frown escaped his lips. "I clearly remember that I ordered everybody not to let Hibari-san drink any alcoholic beverages." He held the empty bottle of wine and looked at his guardians.

Lambo (who was now awake) looked to his right where Yamamoto sat.

Yamamoto glanced to his right too, where Gokudera silently stood.

Gokudera glared at the person at his right.

"Sorry," Ryohei scratched his head. "I extremely forgot about that."

XXX

**Six makes the Sky. Without them, he is nothing.**

With all the chaos the sky holds, sometimes all he needs is the sun's cheery light to break him off from the monotony.

~Fin~

A/N: AGH! I feel terrible. Please leave me a review. I don't care if it's flames, I'll appreciate it if its criticism, and I'll glomp you if it's praise. Thanks for reading!


	4. Cloud

A/N: waai! Here's chappie the fourth. Thank you so much, reviewers, alerters and favers! I love you all! *glomps you all XD* anyway, it's hiba-chan's turn now. Enjoy~

XXX

**We exist for the sky. Without him, we are nothing.**

The cloud hangs eternally in the sky. He floats independently; he changes at his own will. He never lets anything influence him. He is solitary, and maybe, he is lonely. The sky knows that and tries to catch him but he flutters away, and tells him that he is wrong.

The cloud was convinced he never needed anything at all. He existed, and that alone is enough of a reason to live.

XXX

His eyebrow twitched.

"Ahaha, look, there's so many flowers here."

"Shut up! This is a hospital, stupid. Be quiet will you?"

"Yare yare."

He tightened his grip on his blankets.

"Kufufufu~"

"Wh-What are you doing here, pineapple head?"

"Did someone say pineapple and hair in the same sentence?"

"M-Mukuro-sama…"

An impatient artery had popped on his forehead and the blankets were tearing under his grip.

"I brought food. After all, love is all we need~"

"What's that got to do with flowers?"

He successfully tore off some good piece of cloth now and he dug his fingers on the mattress he was sitting on.

"Hibari-san, I brought you some fruits!"

"Hahi! I brought some fruits too!"

"I brought you some ramen! Oh, but you must eat them right away. They might get soggy…"

Now he had ripped off some chunks from the mattress and finally his patience ran out.

"I brought Hibari some EXTREME wine!"

He shot a murderous glance over Tsunayoshi Sawada. Decimo shuddered.

"I, uh… brought you some tea…?" he smiled, unsure of what to do.

And then of course, there were flying chairs and random things after that statement and I thought Hibari would actually beat Shizuo Heiwajima [1] at that category.

XXX

"I'm sorry," Tsuna smiled apologetically at his cloud guardian. "They insisted to come and visit you, so…"

"You were _crowding_." He retorted sharply. He should have stood up and shoved a good hit on the Vongola's face if he wasn't injured from the waist down. He wanted to grab something to throw but unfortunately everything beside him had now been taken away (or thrown away earlier) so that he can't hurt himself of others.

"Uh…hahaha…" Tsuna scratched his cheek and looked away.

He threw a folder on to the Vongola boss and looked away. "That's the report. Now get out."

Tsuna blinked and looked at the folder on his lap. Then he smiled. "I'm not here for your report, silly."

Hibari threw him another murderous glare and the brunet flinched. Using _silly_ to call his cloud guardian wasn't a very good choice of word.

"A-Anyway, how are you feeling?" he put the folder aside and hoped he can change his mood.

But the once chairman of the prefects preferred to stay silent.

"Not in the mood to talk?" Tsuna frowned a little.

"Leave." The raven haired man muttered. He was pissed, and Tsuna knew he could do nothing about it.

"Alright, alright." The Vongola Decimo sighed and stood from where he sat. "Oh, Dino-san told me he'll be visiting you tomorrow."

Hibari didn't utter a word, once again.

"I'll see you then, Hibari-san." The brunet smiled. There was something in that smile that made him remember a fragment of something very distant; a very important memory perhaps, but he didn't bother to recall completely.

And with a soft click of the door, Tsunayoshi left him alone in that room.

Hibari Kyoya enjoyed peace. He enjoyed silence and he cherished the times he was just by himself. It is because in those times he can see how his life would be much better if he was alone.

There was once a time in his life when he enjoyed company. He enjoyed the sound of laughter and the sight of smiles. Maybe because it was painful to his child self to frown all the time and even more painful to shed a lifetime's worth of tears. It was painful to hear people murmuring curses and false gossips while you sit there and do nothing because you were just a child and you were helpless and weak.

And he was alone. He was alone and he saw the world's true form by his innocent eyes. He heard their foul words pouring out of their mouths and felt their malicious intentions burn his skin like acid.

And for once, Hibari Kyoya was a herbivore. He didn't have claws or fangs to bare at anyone who hurt him. But because of that, he saw the truth.

And he was grateful for that.

"Kyo-san," a man had entered the room and the cloud guardian didn't even notice it.

He narrowed his eyes at the man. "Learn to knock, Kusakabe Tetsuya."

"I already knocked, Kyo-san," Kusakabe's eyebrows knitted. "I assumed you acknowledged me so I entered. I'm deeply sorry if I'm wrong."

Hibari gave out a 'hmph'. "Did you bring what I asked for?"

"Yes." The man stepped forward and gave him a brown envelope. "I saw Sawada Tsunayoshi on the way here. He visited you again?"

Hibari threw a questioning glance at him.

Kusakabe sat at the nearby chair. "He was the one who always visited you when you were still unconscious. He was so worried when he heard you were hospitalized; there was even a time he almost panicked. He finally calmed down when I told him you just passed out because of tremendous exhaustion."

The cloud guardian looked at the pack of tea leaves Vongola Decimo brought. That herbivore…

"I must go now, Kyo-san." Kusakabe stood up and bowed at his superior. "I'll come by again tomorrow." He exited swiftly, and gently closed the door behind him.

And once again, he was alone in that room.

Hibari Kyoya enjoyed peace. He enjoyed silence and he cherished the times he was just by himself. It is because in those times he often realizes things and he reflects on them.

He remembers that fleeting memory of his childhood when someone smiled at him with the warmth of the sun and valued him like he was the most important thing in the world, and in fact he was; to her. He remembers her whispering lullabies and sweet words and he knew he was loved.

For once he remembered smiling back at that person and he knew he wasn't alone.

Because even if he denies it, being alone wounds him inside and it hurts more than those injuries he took when he was in battle.

But when he sees Tsunayoshi Sawada smiling at him, he doesn't feel so lonely anymore.

XXX

**Six makes the Sky. Without them, he is nothing.**

The Cloud didn't realize that he continued to exist because there was a Sky that held him close enough to make him feel loved, yet far enough to let him walk on the path he has taken.

~Fin~

A/N: [1] shizuo is a character in the anime Durarara!. when he gets angry, he has a habit of throwing vending machines and other public sidewalk's miscellaneous items. i can't help but to mention him. XD

okay… I feel like I didn't do well on this one. And I think Hibari was kind of OOC. But please leave me a review! Please do. Thank you! ^^


	5. Reborn

A/N: chappie the fifth is here! Originally, I was planning to end this with Hibari, but I changed my mind. I'll be doing some tributes for the other members in Decimo's family. This one is a kind of a sequel to the second chapter. Okay, enough with the ranting. Read on and I hope you enjoy~

* * *

Before the Sky had become what he is now, he had a very, very different Sun that stood by him.

This Sun shone brightly and quite harshly at him. The Sky feared, hated, and often questioned this Sun, but he ignored the Sky's complaints and continued shinning at him.

It was because this Sun wanted him to see through his rays of light in the most unforgiving and fastest way that he can. There was no other way.

XXX

Vongola's tenth boss stared tenderly at his storm and rain as the two lay quietly on a hospital bed. The eerie beeping of the life support machines is the only thing that broke the silence that covered them.

"Gokudera-shi…he'll wake up, right?" Lambo asked while he tried to mask the shaking of his voice.

Tsuna smiled at his lightning guardian. No matter how many times these two denied it, he knew his right-hand man and his youngest guardian had a relationship that of brothers.

So Tsuna wasn't surprised that Gokudera had shielded his 'little brother' from the attacks that was supposed to assassinate the young Bovino.

"Of course." Decimo ruffled Lambo's already messy hair. "Of course he'll wake up."

A small smile grazed his lips and nodded. There was no reason for him not to believe every word Tsuna told him.

"Oi."

A voice hushed the two as they turned to the speaker.

"Shouldn't the cow brat be at home, studying?"

Lambo frowned. He should have thrown a grenade or two at the hitman if they weren't in a hospital.

"Reborn." Tsuna sighed. The last thing he wanted was a very annoyed Lambo and a very pleased arcobaleno at his disposal.

"Shut up." Lambo shot back at the hitman. "It's none of your business."

"Oh? Acting tough now, aren't we?" Reborn raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Today's not a good time to pick up a fight, Reborn." Tsuna made a pleading look at his former tutor. After he had lifted the arcobaleno curse, the hitman in question had become more and more of a teaser than he already is.

"Are you ordering _me_?" his voice sounded dangerous; if he had said this to some random guy, the poor man would be running for his life now. But Decimo knew his ex-teacher. He knew this was all just a display.

"Reborn," Tsuna called his name almost like a plea. "Not now."

"Do I hear a please?" the arcobaleno grinned.

Decimo sighed. The bastard was, is and will always be a creature of pride. "Please."

Reborn chuckled darkly. "I don't want to." Tsuna face palmed. "Hey," he looked at Lambo. "Get out of here."

"What –"

"Now. Out." He pointed to the door and commanded sternly.

Lambo's cheeks flushed in anger. He knew now that Reborn was back in his true form, he had more authority over him.

"Well?" the arcobaleno raised an eyebrow at the young guardian.

Lambo stood up and muttered 'jerk' and swiftly left the room.

"Lambo!" Tsuna called out as he stood and planned to chase his lightning.

"Chrome is outside. She'll take care of him."

This made Decimo stop in his tracks. "Huh?"

"Seriously, Tsuna. With the atmosphere in here earlier, the four of you has the making of a very _very_ corny and mushy drama." He points over at the two sleeping guardians.

Tsuna crossed his arms and frowned. "You could have just said so normally… and not say those mean things to Lambo." Then again, that's just asking for the impossible.

"The kid needs to feel emotion other than guilt." Reborn took out a cigarette and positioned himself on a nearby window. He knew from the glint in Lambo's eyes; he knew he had nightmares about _that_ incident. He knew the sight and the smell of warm blood spilling on to your skin wasn't pleasant; especially if it was the blood of those you held dear.

"And that emotion is anger?" Tsuna rolled his eyes. "Please don't make it worse, Reborn. I'm already drowning in problems and death threats."

The sun arcobaleno opened the windows and lit his cigarette.

"Smoking is prohibited in the hospital." Decimo looked at him as Reborn put the stick on his lips.

"Before you lecture me on this topic, is suggest you try to stop your storm from smoking first." the raven haired hitman took in some smoke and let the nicotine settle in his lungs. "Don't be so tense; take it easy_._"

"How can I 'take it easy'?" Tsuna fell back to his seat, clearly upset. "Look at them! Those machines are the only things that prevent them from falling to the other side. If I pull those out of their sockets," he points to the said machines, "I'll lose them forever. Do you understand, Reborn? I'll lose them to _death_, I…" he breathes in sharply, making him stop from talking any further. He had been wearing a mask to show everyone the sky they all had put heir hopes on, because Tsuna knew he couldn't afford to lose their composures too. He knew he had to keep them strong even if he was beginning to weaken, because if they break, he didn't know if he would be able to take it. "…I… I'm so scared, I… I don't know what to do."

"You better start telling yourself that they _might_ _not_ be here tomorrow." Jet black eyes looked at him under that fedora, and for once Tsuna felt his most trusted person in the world had became a complete stranger. "You're a godfather; not God." He takes in some smoke and blew it out a few moments after. "You did your part as their sky. You avenged them. You gave them the justice not one of those bastards of the court and the government could offer. What's done is done."

Tsuna's amber eyes widened in horror as the words sunk in his consciousness. "How could you… how could you put this in such simple words?" his voice started to shake as his tone rose.

"What do you expect, some long words drenched in honey?" Reborn took out his cigarette from his lips and put it out. "You didn't become Boss to be pampered like a princess; hidden from the realities of life. The moment you took the title from Nono you knew what lay behind _that_. You took this upon yourself. Embrace it." he pointed out a finger at him.

"I decided to _be_ the Tenth because I had things to protect." Tsuna replied, trying to keep himself steady. "_I didn't have any other choice_."

Those very words echoed in the hitman's mind and it took seconds for him to realize what kind of person was standing in front of him.

"How dare you say that to me, you son of a..." Reborn hissed and it felt like sand paper against Tsuna's ears. "You had the choice; remember that. You had the choice to refuse the title, you had the choice to run away, like the coward that you are! How dare you say those words in front of _me_!" as fast as lightning, the brown haired man felt strong fists grab his collar as he got yanked and pinned against the wall by his former tutor. Reborn's fedora had flown off by the force of his advance and for the first time the young Vongola tenth experienced his tutor's fury.

"Have you forgotten the kindness the Ninth showed you? Didn't it cross your mind that the past bosses didn't have any other choice but to accept their fate? Didn't it occur to you how lucky you were when the day came that Nono had offered you the escape route he never had when the time came for him to accept the Vongola name? And all it took for you was to say no…but here you are, a snivelling bastard bearing the title of Boss who has his tail stuck between his legs! Is this what the Ninth gets after all the kindness he had shown you?" his onyx eyes screamed out wrath and the younger man in his grip could not pull away his eyes from staring at his orbs.

"Is this the Boss Gokudera Hayato had sworn he would protect with his life? Is this the friend Yamamoto Takeshi stood for? Look at them!" he grabbed Tsuna's chin and forcibly made him look at his friends. "Look at them very carefully and tell them you're a coward and you can't take the guilt of their deaths! Look at them!"

Under his tight grip, Tsuna whimpered. He couldn't look even if he wanted to.

"To be a boss means you have to watch your comrades die before you. The Sky understands and accepts_ all_, Tsuna. I don't remember teaching you to be a disgrace among your ranks." He releases him and Decimo falls to his knees, and Reborn turns away from him.

From the corner of his eye he saw the young man's shoulders shake as he let out the sobs he's been hiding for so long. This was the first time in a very long time that he'd seen his former student weep. He knew Tsuna had sealed off his old self when he decided to protect his famiglia and became boss of Vongola.

But today, all he saw was the same dame-Tsuna from years ago – a kid who treasured his friends more than anything and didn't hold back on showing his true feelings.

The greatest hitman picked up his black fedora and dusted it off and put it on his head.

He closed the door behind him and he heard Tsuna's cries of apology as he faded in to the distance.

XXX

When the Sun shines upon him, he knows well how his light pierces him.

The Sky is strong because there is a Sun that made him see the truth behind those blinding rays.

It was painful, but it was the only way.

~Fin~

* * *

A/N: okay. That was long. and with a lot of drama. And I certainly did not enjoy writing it.*sigh*

Was it bad? I kept thinking how much I suck at writing reborn's character. But anyway, I hope you leave me a review so that I'll know what I did wrong. Oh, and the next chapter will be Kyoko or Haru. Thanks for reading!


	6. Haru

A/N: here's the sixth! I'm sorry if the update is late. T.T I decided to go for Haru first. I don't ship Tsunappi and Haru, but I ought to try it (even though I don't know what to write) as a KHR fan.

To XienRue: you're very welcome. ^^

To Rikamie: sorry if I confused you…

And to the people who faved this story and did not leave a review, please leave me one. I'm glad you guys faved my story but I live on feedback, like any other writer out there.

Moving on, 2786 shippers, this one's for you! Enjoy~

XXX

Her heart melts when she looks at him and all she sees is the same soul she met at that river when he saved her.

When he chooses to break their pleasant silence, her breath hitches and her blood dilutes in adrenaline as it pumps wildly in her veins and she barely keeps herself in control.

She blushes deeply when he finds time for the two of them to meet because she knew the man in front of her doesn't have all the time in the world.

She would bake and bring him cakes and pastries and he'll eat them all and tell her it was delicious even though some of her cooking isn't as good as what Kyoko offers.

She would sew suits for him and he'll wear it to a meeting half across the world – and after that he'll call her just to tell her how comfortable he was in the clothes she made.

He never ceases to make her laugh when he makes a gloomy face when Gokudera comes and brings him a ton of paper work.

She admires him because he knows how to say sorry even though his apology comes out like a gooey mass of incomprehensible words.

She has goose bumps when he stands up to the enemy even though victory is too far away to reach.

Her heart sinks when he frowns and she feels all the courage she has had all departed.

She burns in envy when he glances at her best friend and she senses something she doesn't want to acknowledge. Ignorance keeps her moving on.

When she hugs him and he returns her embrace, all thoughts disappear from her mind while she drowns in bliss.

She believes his words and she trusts him with her life.

It's because of these things that she fell deeply in love with Vongola's Decimo.

She only wished he'd feel the same. But that's just plain selfish.

Haru never wanted to be selfish to the man who will give everything to his loved ones.

"Haru?" Tsuna calls her name gently and she breaks off from dreamland.

"Tsu-kun." She turns and faces him.

"What are you doing out here? It's late." He reminds her and she smiles.

"Haru's not sleepy yet. How about Tsu-kun?"

"I just finished preparing something that's needed for tomorrow's mission." He walks almost silently to her and rested his elbows on the railing of the balcony. "I might have insomnia…" he sighed and scratched his head, frustrated. "I'm so tired but I'm not sleepy…" he grumbles and the dark haired girl chuckles.

"Tsu-kun should try some sleeping pills." She suggested.

"I did that once… and I overslept. Reborn had to submerge me in ice cold water just to wake me up." He shivers as he remembers the horrendous incident, making Haru laugh. "I ended up catching the flu for a week. By the time I got better, the paperwork piled up so much I thought someone had put Mount Fuji on my table…so no thank you."

Haru nodded and smiled again. "I see. Maybe listening to music will help?"

"Gokudera suggested that too, two weeks ago." Tsuna sighed, shoulders slumped. "He even played the piano for me. I got so impressed by his playing I ended up listening to him till morning."

"How about drinking warm milk?"

"Yamamoto told me that a week before. He made me drink a litre and I got diarrhea the next day."

"How about reading a boring book?"

"Lambo told me that yesterday. My eyes are too tired to read after all that paperwork…"

"Watching T.V?"

"I ended up watching reruns of my favourite shows…"

"Hmm…" Haru put her hand on her chin, thinking. "Haru doesn't know any other ways to help Tsu-kun sleep. Sorry Tsu-kun."

"It's alright Haru." Decimo smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'll find a way… somehow."

The dark haired girl nodded and kept silent. She felt a little bit useless for not –

"I know!"

Tsuna blinked, surprised. "What is it?"

"Lullabies! I'll sing lullabies for you!"

"What?" his amber eyes widened. "But Haru… lullabies are just for–"

"Come on Tsu-kun, it won't hurt if you try!" she said happily.

Decimo sighed. "I guess… alright then."

Her dark brown eyes gleamed in delight as she pulled Tsuna to his room.

"Yosh! Tsu-kun should lie down now." She stated when they arrived in the said room. Decimo obeyed her. She lay beside the Vongola boss. "Rest your head on my arm."

"Huh? But –"

"Come on, Tsu-kun, it's alright." She smiled.

Reluctantly, Tsuna moved closer and rested his head on her arm. His cheeks lit up like a bulb when he shifted a bit and his nose touched her chest.

"I'm s-sorry!" he stuttered and moved back.

"Huh? What's wrong Tsu-kun?" Haru blinked. It appears she didn't feel anything, to the young boss' relief.

"N-Nothing." He answered and looked away. "Nothing at all."

"Okay…" she blinked, confused. "Close your eyes then." He obeyed.

She tapped his arm gently as she waited Tsuna's breathing to slow down. When it did, she hummed first and then sang gently.

_[1] Deta deta tsuki ga__  
__Marui marui manmarui__  
__bon no you na tsuki ga._

She noticed his chest fall and rise evenly and she marvelled by how fast he relaxed in her touch and her voice.__

_Kakureta kumo ni,__  
__kuroi kuroi makkuroi,__  
__sumi no you na kumo ni._

She can see his eyes move in its lids as he drifted to sleep and she smiled because she had helped him.__

_Mata deta tsuki ga,__  
__marui marui manmarui,__  
__bon no you na tsuki ga…_

She repeated the lullaby a few times and she waited patiently for Vongola Decimo to fall in to deep sleep. When he did, she slipped her arm away slowly from his head and replaced it with a pillow.

He did not stir. He is sleeping.

She smiled. She had done what she could and she was glad to have helped to him.

It was time for her to exit, because her job is done.

But she wanted this closeness to last forever. She wanted to feel his breath caress her; to feel his warmth forever. She wished she can watch him all day and be with him wherever he went. She wished she can kiss him and tell him how much she wanted him to be hers.

But Haru didn't want to be selfish.

Because he was the great Sky and she was just a fleeting season. Making him watch her magnificence for a just while from above is enough for her.

So she slipped out of bed gently, making sure her Sky doesn't wake.

She walked away and closed the door behind her and left.

She could not tell him she loved him because he is the Sky.

And the Sky didn't belong to anyone.

~Fin~

A/N: [1] I don't own this Japanese lullaby. Its title is 'tsuki'.

I will admit I don't have any talent in writing 2786. But I've tried. I wanted to write a happy one, but it ended up a bit too angsty. I can't help it, I'm sorry. T.T It's up to you to decide whether I sucked as hell or I did ok. Oh, and if you have any suggestions to who should be in the next chappie, tell me 'kay? XD I hope you enjoyed reading. Please leave me a review! ^^


	7. Ipin

A/N: here's chapter seven. You're probably thinking why I had I-pin go first. Well… I just got hit by one of those persistent ideas that won't let you sleep unless you put them down in words. I hope you enjoy. ^^

XXX

I-pin has a big crush on Hibari, that's for sure.

Everyone knew that, including Tsunayoshi Sawada.

So when I-pin delivered some ramen to him one cloudless afternoon, he asked her directly.

"I-pin," his caramel eyes was smiling along with his lips, "Do you really like Hibari-san?"

"Huh?" her cheeks lit up like those Chinese lanterns on New Years. "Sawada-san…"

Gokudera's eyes widened at his Boss' question, while Yamamoto chuckled.

"Now that Tsuna mentioned it," the rain guardian added, "I've heard you have a crush on him since you were just five."

"I…" she blushed redder as she gave them the ramen they ordered. "I do."

"Hmm," the swordsman smiled and nodded. "Hibari is so lucky to have an admirer like you."

Gokudera mentally face palmed. He cannot believe the baseball idiot and his boss were asking random questions to a fifteen year old girl about crushes and stuff. He sighed and deduced that it _must_ be hunger that caused this irregular behaviour. Or, he was having delusions. So he reached for his bowl of ramen and slurped away, waiting for the scene to change.

"Why haven't you confessed to him yet?" Tsuna asked as he took his bowl of beef ramen.

"Hibari-san is such a busy man. I don't think he has the time to listen to my…childish declaration." The girl clad in white answered honestly.

"Don't say that, love isn't childish." defended the Vongola boss. "Would you like to meet him? I can arrange a meeting for the two of you so that you can confess." He suggested.

Gokudera choked on the noodles. So much for that hunger-delusion-theory of his.

"Gokudera?" Yamamoto blinked at the coughing storm guardian. "You okay?"

"Gokudera-kun/-san?" Tsuna and I-pin asked in unison as they looked at him.

"I'm fine, the n-noodles are just h-hot… please carry on with your erm… conversation." He cleared his throat and wiped his lips with his hankie.

Tsuna nodded and turned to I-pin and continued. "So? Would you like to, I-pin?"

The Chinese martial artist looked bashfully at the Vongola boss. "If it isn't much of a trouble to you, Sawada-san, then…I suppose it's alright."

"Great!" smiled Decimo as he took his chopsticks. "I'll call you when I'm done making the arrangements, okay?"

The black haired girl nodded, a pink color coating her face.

Gokudera swore this will not turn out good.

XXX

"I-pin is going to confess to the _vampire_."

Lambo spewed out his grape juice as he heard the statement. "What?"

"Your exploding childhood friend is going to say 'I love you' to Hibari Kyoya." Gokudera repeated. "Would you like me to give you another version of that statement?"

Lambo's eyes widened. "After ten years of stalking him she'll do it now? Wow."

"What do you mean 'wow'?" the silver haired man narrowed his eyes at the thunder guardian. "He's going to kill her if that happens, idiot. Do you know how twisted that guy is?"

"I'm sure she'll survive." He nods and wiped off the juice on his lips.

Gokudera gave him a look.

"What do you want me to do? Tell her not to go?" the black haired boy said as he threw the bottle in to the trash can. "Gokudera-shi, I-pin's in love with that biting machine for almost a decade. I can't make her stop declaring her feelings just because you said so."

"I'm not asking you to stop her; I'm just telling you that she will confess. So it's up to you if you'll come and save her like a knight in shining armor before he bites her to death."

"What?" Lambo blinked and blushed redder than Gokudera's flame.

"Namimori Park, 6 p.m." He turned and started to walk away. "Thank me."

"Idiot!"

XXX

She wore a pretty pink dress (courtesy of Haru and Kyoko) and she sure made herself beautiful.

Uncle Kawahira's (who, surprisingly did not complain about the noodles earlier) 'good luck' and Sawada's cheers echoed in her ears and she felt encouraged.

"Did the herbivore sent you to deliver me something?" the cloud guardian asked.

"N-no, I…" she could not almost breathe as she felt the stare of his steel grey eyes pierce through her. I-pin could feel herself melt in his presence; he almost made her want to run away as soon as possible.

But she remembers Sawada's enthusiasm. She cannot fail him. She cannot tell him she ran away because she was too scared to confess. She knew people like them did not have much time in their hands.

Her master had taught her to appreciate and treasure favours people give a soul.

So she breathes in and she musters the courage to look him in the eye.

He was, surprisingly, waiting for her to speak.

"Hibari-san," she starts to blush wildly and he watches him shift a bit, paying attention.

"I like you very much. Please go out with me!"

There was definitely some change in his expression. His eyebrows rose ever so slightly and his lips parted as if he was about to say something.

But he didn't say anything; no, he did not. Not even a word or a sound.

And that terrified her, almost driving her insane.

But she _forced_ herself to wait patiently. Her master had always taught her that patience is a virtue. She waited even though she wanted to rip off the answer from his lips and run away like a maniac.

Her heart skipped a beat when he started walking toward her. She felt her face warm up again and she automatically bowed her head.

He lifted his hand and patted her head.

"Thank you."

Her eyes widened and her blood became agitated when she felt his touch.

"I'm sorry."

She knew something must have cracked inside of her when she heard those words.

XXX

He tapped his fingers impatiently.

It's already 6:10 and he's still not in his 'knight in shining armor' mode.

"Are you waiting for something, Lambo-chan?" Kyoko asked as she mixed the batter.

"…" he looked at the clock.

_Stand up._

He drummed his fingers faster.

_Stand up, damn it._

He clenched his other fist.

_Get your ass off that fucking seat!_

"Lambo-chan?" Haru patted his back. "Is there something wrong?"

"…I'll be right back." He murmured and stood up swiftly, and ran for the door.

But when he turned the knob and opened it, he saw I-pin standing in front of the same door and about to turn the same knob too.

"I-pin?" Lambo blinked.

The moment he said her name her onyx eyes filled with bitter tears.

He still remembered the days when he teased her 'egg head' and she would cry but after he said sorry, she'll forgive him and they'll play again like nothing happened.

"He thanked me…" she tried to smile but her eyes said otherwise. "He said sorry... he told me he was sorry… he –"

After that word came a million sobs and tears as she collapsed on her knees to the floor.

When they were five, her tears were shallow; they meant nothing.

He knew sorry was the magic word and when that is said all her tears will go away.

Now that they're fifteen, he wondered if 'sorry' lost its charm.

"I-pin-chan!" Kyoko and Haru said in unison as they rushed to her side.

"He… he t-told me he…" she mumbled her words as she forced herself to look at her two 'older sisters'.

"Shh, it's alright..." Kyoko wiped off the smeared make up from the young girl's cheek.

"Let it all out I-pin-chan, let it all out." Haru rubbed circles on her back and pushed the loose strands of I-pin's hair behind her ear.

The martial artist shook her head and tried her best to speak, but she cannot control her tears and sobs anymore.

Lambo could not believe what he's seeing right now. He _refused_ to acknowledge it.

He never wanted to admit she _loved_ him that much.

XXX

He heard a knock on his mahogany door and he raised his eyebrows.

"Come in."

The door opened and Decimo smiled at the sight.

"I-pin." he called out.

"Sawada-san." The girl smiled back and bowed.

"So…How did it go?" he asked nervously.

"Hibari-san came," she said with a faint smile. "He came and I confessed."

"And then…?"

"Thank you Sawada-san. Thank you so much." She bowed deeply. "Thank you for your efforts. But Hibari-san…" she smiled again and shook her head.

His eyes widened as he realized what that smile meant. "He…"

I-pin could only retain that smile and Tsuna knew he was a complete idiot.

"I… I'm sorry." The Vongola boss mumbled as he felt his body weigh down.

"It's not your fault, Sawada-san." She assured but he knew better. "It's alright. I understand Hibari-san's reasons."

Tsuna inwardly cursed himself and his hyper intuition for not working. I-pin noticed her 'onii-chan' was beginning to frown so she skipped to the brown haired boss and pinched his cheeks.

"The Sawada-san I know always smiles like this." She lightly giggled. "Don't feel so down. I'm alright."

"I-ping-chang…" Tsuna said as he struggled to produce coherent words because of her hold on his cheeks. His brow furrowed. He knew how well she hid things with that smile of hers.

I-pin released her hold of his cheeks and poked his forehead. "And stop knitting your eyebrows. It'll make you look old."

Tsunayoshi smiled at her comment. She smiled back.

He is the Sky but that doesn't mean he knows all things. It doesn't mean he can dictate feelings.

He wished he could hit himself right now for not knowing better.

~Fin~

A/N: Fuuta will be next, and then I'll be doing Bianchi. If you have any requests please leave them in the reviews and I'll be happy to write a tribute for them next. ^^ as for Dino-saur, I can't make a tribute for him yet, because he's not part of the Vongola family.

That's all and thank you for reading! See you in the next chapter! ^^


	8. Fuuta

A/N: . Oh my goodness. I have a confession to make people.

I'M A GOKUDERAXSHITTOPI-CHAN SHIPPER NOW!

Shit. I couldn't help it. At all. I love Gokudera and I don't want him with a girl (and **most** **definitely** not with a guy). But… UGH! Just look at chapter 315 and 316… I just…*sigh* I should stop denying it, shouldn't I?

Anyway, I'm really glad this story got added to the 'KHR great reads' community. If the staff or the manager is reading this, thanks! It's an honor!

And thank you very much for you people who faved, reviewed and alerted!

* * *

"The top one place we should go to in our summer vacation is… Bora Bora, Tahiti."

"Bora bora?" Haru blinked. "Haru doesn't know that place."

"I don't either..." Kyoko turned to the illusionist. "Have you ever gone to Tahiti, Chrome-chan?"

The pineapple haired illusionist shook her head shyly.

"It's an island." Bianchi said as she looked at the three girls. "Tahiti has excellent beaches. It's a perfect place to _culture_ love."

Gokudera narrowed his eyes at his older sister. Culture? What does this woman think love is? Some kind of bacteria?

"Well, are there any objections?" Tsuna asked and no one contradicted. "It's settled then," the brown haired boss of Vongola smiled as he sat back. "We're going to Bora Bora."

The girls cheered happily (with the exception of Chrome) and continued chattering about other girly stuff.

"Alright, ladies." The sun arcobaleno said as he put down his mug of espresso. "Get along and chatter in some place private. You don't want us to know about your plans for our little trip, yes?"

"Reborn-cha – eto, Reborn-san is right!" Haru exclaimed. "We should keep our plans a secret or it won't be a surprise anymore!"

Reborn frowned a little bit at Haru's change of honorific tittles. He had just returned to his original form just recently, but it doesn't mean she had to be so formal now.

"We'll be going then, Tsu-kun, minna." Kyoko nodded at the rest of the Vongola family and prepared to leave.

Chrome bowed at her boss and timidly followed the ladies of Vongola.

Tsuna smiled and nodded back.

After they left, Tsuna turned to the ranking prince.

"Thank you for your efforts, Fuuta. Your rankings are really useful."

The light brown haired young man smiled. "I'm only doing what I can for the family."

"So? What are _your_ plans?"

The brown haired boss of Vongola looked at his former tutor. "What do you mean, Reborn?"

"You can't possibly go on a vacation without having some of your own."

The guardians, (with the exception of Chrome who the arcobaleno sent away earlier for this 'talk', Ryohei who was out on a mission, and Hibari, who did not attend the meting at all) and the rest of the men of the core of the famiglia looked at the hitman.

"But I don't have any." Decimo said honestly. "What do you have in mind?"

"Seriously?" after a few seconds of silence, he sighed. "You really don't have any? Even an idea?"

Tsuna shook his head.

"What do the beach, the sun and the sea suggest to you?"

"Uh…swimming?"

"Other than the obvious."

"…sorry, I really don't know…"

"Does anybody here have any idea what I am _implying_?"

Alas, there was no answer.

"And you buttheads have the guts to call yourselves _men_."

"I know what that reason is."

Eyes avert to the ranking prince. There were things floating and they knew he was in his ranking mode yet again.

Reborn grinned. "Tell us then, young prince."

"The top thing the men of the Vongola inner family lack in their vacation is... women."

An echo of 'eh?' resounded in the large room.

"Women?" Yamamoto raised an eyebrow.

"But Maman and the others are coming," Lambo said as he looked at his light brown haired 'onii-chan'.

"I think that's not what Reborn-san means." Fuuta smiled, with a light coating of pink on his cheeks.

"Thank God someone in this room understood me!" Reborn exclaimed and sat back.

But as usual, an invisible question mark hung above the heads of the rest of the Vongola men.

The sun arcobaleno face palmed.

"The thing you crotchless mongrels lack is a sex life."

Tsuna almost mimicked that emoticon with the two 'O' and a '_' in the middle of them.

Gokudera and Yamamoto were having a contest whether who blushes redder.

Lambo's jaw almost dislocated from its place.

Shoichi fell out of his seat.

Spanner accidentally bit his tongue instead of the lollipop in his mouth.

Giannini spilled his coffee.

Fuuta smiled, amused by his comrades' expressions.

"Of course, with the exception of Ryohei." Reborn nodded and lifted his mug again to his lips.

"B-But we don't n-need such things…" Tsuna stuttered and cleared his throat.

"Tha-That's right." Shoichi composed himself and sat again.

"Oh really? Could you enlighten me as to why it is not important for you not to hit on girls?" the hitman cocked an eyebrow at each of the men in front of him after he had sipped some coffee.

"Well, could _you_ tell us why it is important for us to hit on girls?" Tsuna tried to counter his former tutor. The rest of the family wished him good luck.

"You people are _Vongola_. And we're going to an island! _Of course _there will be women there!" The arcobaleno narrowed his eyes. "You're mafia, for Pete's sake!" the hitman threw his hands up as he sank in his seat. "Men of the mafia are and _must be _suave. So what if you're the greatest Godfather that ever lived, dame-Tsuna? The mafia world will laugh at your sorry corpse when they discover you're still a virgin when you died."

"Reborn!" Decimo lit up like a bulb and he could hear Lambo's snickering.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, dear _Decimo._" The hitman smiled cunningly. "You're not the only one."

Some certain individuals joined Tsuna in his moment of shame.

"A-Anyway…" the Vongola boss tried to break the silence, "That isn't necessary. We're perfectly fine individuals. Perfectly fine –"

"Virgins." Reborn butted in.

"Yes, perfectly fine virgi – wait!" Tsuna, who's more flustered than before broke his own sentence. "Stop it, Reborn!"

Reborn sighed. "I guess it cannot be helped."

All of them looked at the hitman. _Could it be that he gave up?_

"Fuuta, please tell me the top five men of the Vongola inner family who haven't experienced any sexual activities or copulation."

(They were idiots for clinging on to that damn false hope.)

"Okay." The prince smiled and miscellaneous things were floating again. "The top five men of the Vongola inner family who haven't experienced any sexual activities or copulation are…"

"Fuuta! Stop!"

"Number five… Lambo."

"Hey, I'm just fifteen! That's understandable!"

"Number four… Spanner."

"..." _sigh._

"Number three…"

"STOP!"

"Stop him!"

"Fuuta!"

"Look Fuuta, it's raining, it's raining!"

The bearer of the yellow pacifier smiled triumphantly. "Fuuta's rankings arevery _useful_ indeed."

~Fin~

* * *

A/N: This started as a random idea I thought in chemistry class, and since I haven't thought of a theme for this chapter, I decided to continue it. I have a feeling that I'm beginning to forget the original theme that I made for this collection. I feel like it isn't a tribute anymore. I thought of writing some things about Fuuta's past, but all I thought of were crappy angsty ideas. What do you think?

I've also been thinking of doing a Shimon family version of this. I feel like they're much unappreciated. Or is it just me? XD

Anyway, thanks for reading! Leave me a review okay? ^^


	9. Bianchi

A/N: I. AM. SORRY. It took me a while to update 'coz I've been too busy… and the prelims are coming up and chemistry is killing my brain cells. Anyway, I have done a kind of spin-off of this story of mine – it's about the arcobaleno this time. Please do check it out if you have time! XD (is endorsing banned here? Lol.)

Anyway, as Erigay requested, here's a Bianchi chapter.

Dozo~

XXX

She had cried so hard that night.

Seeing all those holes in his body made her chest twist in pain; all the crimson flowing out of him was more than enough to make her knees weak.

And when Haru told her so desperately (she was choking in her own tears) that he _wasn't_ breathing anymore, she could not bring herself to believe it.

Hayato isn't dead. He _can't _be.

The Vongola Famiglia had never seen the Poison Scorpion cry. Not until the doctors declared Gokudera Hayato dead that rainy night.

She pleaded; she got on her knees and pleaded. (_Please, please don't, please, oh God please don't let him die_)

The doctor in charge looked at her. He breathed in sharply and nodded.

They tried again.

(The sound of the machine gathering up electricity to shock him alive felt like Death's distant call.)

And again.

('Clear' the doctor said but little brother did not come back.)

And again.

(She cried louder but he could _not_ hear her; he probably never will)

And again.

(The slow beeping sound the other machine gave out felt like deliverance to her.)

Gokudera Hayato was dead five minutes ago.

But he came back.

However, it was far from over.

Any moment he can fall off to death's grasp and never come back.

That was why _he_ can't look her in the eye.

It was his fault that this had happened.

(He could do nothing more but wait.)

A week had passed and he had almost crushed the enemy to dust. He cried for having doubts about himself. He said sorry all through the night in that room, wishing his two best friends would hear him.

(It didn't make things any better.)

Two weeks had passed and Yamamoto Takeshi was out of the ICU. _He_ was not.

(It felt so much better but at the same time it felt so much worse.)

Three weeks had gone and the rain was getting stable. _He _was getting worse.

(She looked so pale by that time; even paler than her little brother's hair)

A month flew so easily and Takeshi had woken. Tsuna cried on his rain guardian's side, telling him (although the words he was uttering was far from understandable) how happy he was to see him.

(She cried as well. _Why had it not been you who had woken, Hayato?_)

Another month had passed. Takeshi was a week away from being discharged.

But Hayato was still sleeping. And Bianchi was still there.

She was still waiting.

XXX

Days will turn in to weeks and she was there, guarding him like a treasure.

Tsuna would join her and they will bathe in silence; not a word said nor a sound made.

And Decimo understood what that silence meant.

But he could not apologize; no, he _cannot_.

Lambo would often visit, and every time he went and saw that the man who had saved him did not wake still, he would cry and apologize. He would cry for hours until his throat had become swollen and his eyes cannot create tears anymore.

Bianchi tried to hush the boy but failed.

Tsuna could only sit farthest from them and muffle his cries.

He could not do _anything_.

XXX

December came and the storm has not returned still.

Bianchi would come from missions (she insisted to take them) and do all her responsibilities (Tsuna felt guiltier) and then bring her brother flowers upon her arrival. She rarely came home to the Vongola manor, nor has spoken to any of the family members.

"Sooner or later," the arcobaleno told Tsuna one snowy day, "She's going to die because of depression if you don't say _it_."

Decimo could only look down, ashamed. "I… I'm –"

Reborn frowned. "I don't _care _what you're feeling right now, Dame-Tsuna. It's your responsibility to tell her _that_. Now get your ass out of that chair before I decide to shoot you."

He swallowed hard. He could not even stand up, seeing that Bianchi _will _break down.

"Don't forget what you are, Decimo." Were the last words his former tutor left behind after he walked away.

_How could I…?_

"I'm sorry."

He told her between breaths as he burst in to the hospital room.

Bianchi looked at him with dazed eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated, now looking straight in to her green eyes, feeling heavy. "I'm sorr –"

"You should be!" she shouted and stood up to charge at him. "You should be, you bastard! You should be!" she slapped him with all the strength and anger she was hiding, yet Tsuna did not stop her.

Because he is the Sky and he understood and accepted all.

"He's not waking up because of you! Because of you he almost died! Wake him up! Wake him up!" she wailed as she threw punches at his chest. "Because of you…" a sob broke out from her lips and her words became slurry and her knees gave in. The young boss caught her in his arms and held her tight.

"I'm sorry, Bianchi." He whispered and felt his eyes warm up. "I'm so sorry."

Bianchi could only cry louder, _harder_. Tsuna could do nothing more.

XXX

It was Christmas Eve and Hayato did not wake still.

The famiglia stayed in his hospital room and spent the Christmas there.

They sang merry songs and ate Maman's wonderful cooking; all to their heart's content.

They exchanged presents and opened them at the spot.

"Merry Christmas, Gokudera-shi." Lambo muttered and placed a gift on Hayato's bed.

All of them stopped beaming those fake smiles. They stopped laughing half heartedly.

XXX

New Year's Eve came and Hayato did not wake still.

They visited a temple and wished the same thing.

The first morning of the New Year came and Bianchi was still there, waiting.

Tsuna came moments after the sun had risen, together with all the paperwork he didn't finish last night. Yamamoto carried the other half of Tsuna's unending pile of work. Haru tagged with them with a new flower vase (the other one broke because of Bianchi) and some new blooms. Lambo just went along.

And so, the Poison Scorpion watched them make a ruckus.

She remembered those times when they were young and Tsuna wasn't Decimo yet. She had come to Japan to kill the lad for a very simple and childish reason; but ended up following the wimpy teen – just like her little brother.

She became loyal to the no-good boss-to-be; a thing she never expected herself to do.

She remembers the night she threw all the known curses in her mother tongue and slipped some Japanese insults here and there at him, while he just said nothing. He listened and took it all in.

When she was done, when tears and sobs were the only things she can create, he still held her tight and told her he was sorry.

"_He's a good boss, isn't he, Hayato?"_ Bianchi whispered in Italian and looked at her brother gently.

Pale green eyes stared back at her.

The scorpion could only gasp and turn away, tears beginning to form on her eyes.

"Bianchi?" Tsuna called out. "What's the ma –"

Haru's grip on the vase she was showing to the two men loosened and the ceramic slipped out of her hands. It shattered on the floor and created a sound that silenced them all. She could only gape.

"Tsuna," Yamamoto called out breathlessly. "He's –"

Sea foam green eyes stare unfocusedly at the three of them.

"G-Gokudera-kun…"

XXX

In the following months, every bit of moment was focused on the recovering storm guardian.

He had survived twenty six gun shots on the body which led to massive bleeding, three ruptured organs, fractured ribs, two fractured femurs, a cracked skull and a blind eye. He had undergone hours of surgery and had hundreds of stitches.

Within those merry months, Tsuna had learned so many things.

He discovered Yamamoto had no talent for paperwork.

He also knew asking Ryohei for help wasn't the wisest of ideas (and anyone in the famiglia for that matter).

He finally began to sleep properly.

He now knew the answer to the mystery why the fifteen year old Lambo had an eye closed. (Gokudera had yelled at the young lightning guardian for days when he discovered who his 'donor' was.)

When Bianchi came to his office one spring day and brought him some not-so purple looking chocolate chip cookies and kissed him on the cheek, he knew he had been forgiven.

A little while later, he suffered from extreme diarrhea and vomiting.

Tsuna also learned to _never_ forget your past lessons.

~Fin~

A/N: I'm sorry, once again. I should have written a different plot. T.T I couldn't resist. XD so yup, this is connected to the second and the reborn chapter. *sigh* I promise the happiness and the humor will come back on the next chapters. ^^ Who would you like to be next, may I ask? Please let me know what you think. Thank you very much for reading!


	10. Iemitsu

A/N: ah~ Christmas is just hours away… XD so here's some family fluff for you guys. Sorry if I haven't been updating much. Anyway please do read on. ^^

oh, and thank you very much to those who alerted and faved and reviewed! i love you guys! XD

dozo~

* * *

Decimo exhaled, making a light puff of visible breath.

Today is the twenty fourth of December. Just a few hours more and the world will celebrate Christmas. He gingerly looked outside from his office window.

Snow was falling slowly, like those in the snow globes when you shook them. To be honest, he never looked forward to this particular reason when he was young. Sure, they ate food they did not have on regular days; his mom gave him gifts and he had an acceptable reason for lazing around.

But there was something missing; something he would not admit openly.

A small smile crept on his lips as he shook the idea off.

Since the time when he became the Boss of Vongola, he began to enjoy the Yuletide season a lot more than he expected. Things were merrier, crazier. But he didn't mind. It's alright to be wild once in a while.

Well, okay, scratch that. Things around there were _always_ crazy. Even if it wasn't Christmas.

He'd been troubled by random dynamite explosions, sudden activation of the sprinklers, hedgehogs on the loose, moscas on the loose, future-selves of his family, past members of the Vongola, flying poisonous food-like substances, things that defy gravity, guardians barging in his office telling him about some fan girls, or threats that goes in the realm of biting. He stretched his patience through unimaginable lengths just to keep up with his family's madness; all because of one simple reason.

Because he loved them more than anything in the world.

In the end of the day, even if every inch of his body ached and his resolution burned down to the last ember, he was happy.

He could never ask for anything more.

Well, okay, scratch that again.

He did want that paperwork to diminish…

XXX

"Juudaime?"

"Hmm?" Tsuna darted his head up, making his glasses slide a bit on his nose.

"You're not done yet, I see." Gokudera Hayato entered his Boss' office, carrying a tray with a cup coffee and a plate of sweets.

"Ah, yes. But I'll be finishing them soon." Decimo looked back at the documents.

"Here," his right-hand placed down the cup. "It's espresso."

If Tsuna ever told anyone what Reborn had passed on to him, one of the things he'll probably tell them first is the love for coffee his tutor had been famous for.

He can't (or didn't want) to remember how or when he started to like the brown liquid, but it helped him to stay awake on nights when he had to read a sea of files and reports.

"Shall I help you out, Tenth?" the silver haired guardian suggested as he placed the plate of assorted chocolates and bite-sized pastries down on his table.

"No, it's alright. I'm almost done anyway." Decimo smiled and waved a hand in refusal. "Go ahead and enjoy yourself, Gokudera-kun."

His storm guardian smiled back nodded. "Don't push yourself too much, Boss."

"I'll try not to." Tsuna honestly replied.

And then the door closed behind him. The brown haired boss stretched.

Actually, he was far from being finished. For a moment, he kind of regretted refusing Gokudera's offer. But he didn't want to trouble the ever loyal guardian any more than he already has.

He picked up a little bonbon and popped it in his mouth.

Hmm… _delicious_.

Fuuta was so good in making these little treats that if ever someone had asked Tsuna to choose from sex and those bonbons, he'll happily vote for the sweets. It was _that_ good.

Anyway, let us go back to the paperwork.

There was a pause. And then Decimo sighed.

Man, this will be a long night…

XXX

12:25, his wall clock said.

And he's only halfway thru…

He absentmindedly smacked his head on the table, making a thud.

He wanted to go out of his office and enjoy the festivities, but if he did, the paperwork will pile up and will resemble the leaning Tower of Pisa. And when things like paper lean, that often spells trouble.

Another sigh left his lips.

"HERE COMES THE HERO!"

The utter shock and lameness of the line made Decimo jerk so suddenly he lost grip of his pen.

The windows behind him were now wide open, letting in the cold Christmas air. He turned to it, and recognized a fellow standing proudly in a suit, wearing a helmet that had 'victory' written on it and… hey, is that Primo's cape?

"TSUNAYOSHI SAWADA!"

"H-Hai!"

"How DARE you stay around here in Christmas Eve?"

"H-Ha?"

"YOU!" the man pointed dramatically.

"Me?" Tsuna pointed to himself.

"MUST…"

"Huh?"

"NOT…"

"…" he gulped.

The man took off his helmet, and Tsuna was greeted with a cheesy grin. "Over work yourself."

Decimo's amber eyes widened.

"W-WAAAAH!"

"Ara, Tsu-kun," Nana smiled as the man that was once in a helmet came storming in the large dinning hall with Decimo.

"L-Let me go!" Tsuna blurted out as he was carried in a way that he lay on top of the not-so anonymous man's shoulder like a sack of rice.

"I have returned, my love," the man said sweetly at Nana squealed like a fan girl.

"Oh Dear," she giggled as the man took her hand to kiss it.

"H-Hey, I'm here you know!" Tsuna interrupted and lightly blushed.

The man laughed. "Right, right, sorry Tsuna." He slid him off of his shoulder.

"Geez, Dad," Decimo sighed, rubbing his stomach. "That hurt you know."

Iemitsu grinned. "But you've got to admit that entrance was the coolest and grandest of all the entrances I've done."

"Lamest is the right word." The Vongola Boss snapped. "I can't believe you came in to my office in a helmet and –" he tugged on the cape, "in Primo's mantella?"

"Hey, I went as Primo on Halloween, don't insult it." Iemitsu pulled the cloth out of Tsuna's grasp. "You wear the real thing and you don't hear me complaining."

"I wear it _on_ battles," Decimo retorted. "It's two different things."

"Well wearing is still wearing."

"You –"

There was a chuckle. It was Nana.

And then the chuckle multiplied.

Tsuna forgot that they were arguing in front of his family.

"Could we postpone the battle on the capes and just enjoy the night?" Reborn commented making Tsuna blush in embarrassment.

"Here, Tenth." Gokudera led him to his seat; at the end of the long table. Tsuna followed willingly and sat.

"We're glad you finished the paperwork in time, Tsuna," Yamamoto smiled and poured some champagne on his Boss' glass.

"Well…"

"SAWADA! You must try the extremely new sake I brought from Kobe. It's really good! But I don't understand why Hibari didn't want any…"

The cloud guardian turned away when Ryohei mentioned his name. The other guardians became a little pale, especially Mukuro.

"Tsuna-kun!" Haru jumped with excitement to him, holding some clothes. "I have sewn some suits for you! Do you like grey? I think grey will look good on you!"

"Ah –"

"Tsuna-nii," Fuuta appeared on his right and held up a tray of decadent looking sweets. "I cooked some of your most favourite confections. I also added some new ones – hey, Lambo!" the ranking prince turned to the lightning guardian as the latter took one bonbon from the tray and ate it. "That's for Tsuna-nii!"

"Hmm… yummy." The fifteen-year old smiled as he savoured the chocolate in his mouth.

"Tsu-kun," Kyoko came out on his left and in her hand lay a plate of delicious looking food. "We cooked a lot tonight so eat up ok?"

"That's right Sawada-san!" I-pin chirped as she stood beside Kyoko, holding some steaming buns.

Bianchi butted in. "Eat up, Boss." She held up some of her most famous and deadliest cooking that made Tsuna turn a little white.

"Bossu," Chrome shyly walked to him and held out a box with a neat purple ribbon on it, "Please accept this gift."

"Thank you –"

"Sawada-dono! I implore to thee to accept this present from us, the CEDEF." Basil bowed deep and handed him a large gift.

"B-Basil-kun –"

"Juudaime!" this time it was Giannini who called him that, "I made an invention to help you with those paperwork –"

"What he needs first is some sweets." Spanner cut him off and held up an array of colourful lollies, "I made some of these so that your _brain_ will function more efficiently when you work on those reports."

"O-Okay –"

"I don't think he _needs_ any of that _trash_." Mukuro shoved the two away, earning a place beside Tsuna. "Just enter in to a contract with me and you'll never be bothered by _any_ paperwork anymore, Tsunayoshi-kun…"

Decimo shuddered when the illusionist ran a slender finger on his jaw… which was later smacked off by Gokudera.

"Don't touch the Tenth so easily, you perverted pineapple-head!" the bomber snapped.

"Oya, Tsunayoshi-kun, I didn't know you kept such a rude _pet_. What an annoying octopus." The illusionist smirked which ticked Gokudera more.

"Maa, maa," Yamamoto got in between the two before they charged at each other. "Calm down, okay?"

Before either of the storm and mist guardians could snap back at each other and at the rain guardian, Hibari Kyoya stood up, making a loud sound as the chair gave way for him to stand.

All eyes turned to him. Steel grey eyes dart sharply at them.

Tsuna swore he could see the irritation forming _visually_ around the cloud guardian. They pissed him off real bad. The crowding was too much.

Hibari walked toward them, releasing some deadly aura. The people around Tsuna immediately hid behind their sky. Decimo gulped and then bowed is head and closed his eyes, like a child submitting to receive his punishment.

"G-Gomen, Hi-Hiba –"

And then he felt something land on his lap. He opened his eyes.

It was a cage with a red ribbon tied around it. Inside lay little Hibird-looking birds.

"Uwaa, kawaii!" Haru squealed and stared closer at the yellow pompom-looking creatures.

"They look just like Hibird, don't they?" Kyoko tapped on the cage.

Tsuna gaped. Is this Hibird's offspring?

Yamamoto laughed. "Wow, so that means Hibird is a girl!"

Hibari's eyebrow twitched as he went back to his seat. Maybe he shouldn't have given those off to the herbivore…

"I didn't expect you to give Tsuna such a cute gift, Kyoya."

Tsuna smiled when he heard that voice. "Dino-san!"

"Hey, lil' bro!" the Cavallone boss evaded an attack from his student first before approaching the Vongola tenth. "Merry Christmas!" he ruffled Tsuna's brown hair making Decimo smile even more. "We, the Cavallone hope you enjoy our little offering this year."

"Offering?" Tsuna blinked.

"Why don't we turn this in to a little game?" Reborn suddenly spoke after he sipped some wine. "Whoever gives Tsuna the most thoughtful gift of all wins 50 million euros. He'll be ranking all of you by the point system, like always."

"And what will happen to the one who gets the lowest score?" Shoichi asked, as he adjusted his glasses.

Reborn smirked, making the orange head regret that he even asked. "Since its Christmas, he'll _just_ have to run outside the mansion naked."

"Count me in!"

"Me too!"

"I'll never disappoint the Tenth!"

And so, the contest on who gives the Tenth the greatest gift had begun.

XXX

"What are you doing here? It's cold." Iemitsu treaded over to his son who was on the stone balcony. The snow was silently falling on them like white sakura petals in spring.

"Nothing." Tsuna answered gently as his father stood close to him. "Just enjoying the view, I suppose."

And then there was silence.

"Dad?"

"Hmn?"

"I'm glad you're home."

The statement caught Iemitsu off guard.

He knew his son hated him because he wasn't there when he was little, especially on occasions like this one. The way Tsuna grew up wasn't far from those of a kid who had no father in the beginning. Iemitsu wished he should have tried to come home every Christmas but being the external advisor of the Ninth didn't let him.

"You have a good family, Tsuna."

Decimo turned his head to his father.

"They have kept you company more than I have. I am sorry, son. I'm sorry for my short comings. I'm ashamed, as a father."

"What's up with the lines, dad?" amber eyes narrowed as the Vongola Boss smiled. "My family isn't 'good' when you're not in it."

For a moment Iemitsu stood there, utterly shocked and overwhelmed by his son's words. Those words were more than forgiveness to him; more than what he wanted to hear.

"You…You hopeless romantic!"

"Wh-What?" Tsuna blushed and took a step back.

"That was so sweet of you son! Here, let me give you a hug!"

"O-Oi! Ch-Chotto!"

"Aww, come on _Tsu_-_kun_, give your Daddy a nice cuddle!"

"S-Stop it, its embarassing!"

As Iemitsu glomped him like one of Lambo's fan girls, Tsuna couldn't help but to smile.

It seems that the greatest gift he had received this Christmas had just arrived.

~Fin~

* * *

A/N: haha, so soggy and corny, yes? XD anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little Christmas fic of mine.

Please leave me a review! ^^

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!


	11. Shoichi Irie part one

A/N: in accordance to Z-san's requests, here is the first one I'm going to write.

I admit I enjoyed writing this one, that's why this is a bit longer than usual. I hope you guys like it. XD

Dozo~

XXX

"P-Party?"

"Yes," Decimo replied with a smile on his face. "Since its New Years day tomorrow, Reborn and the others thought of throwing another party, to celebrate. I hope you can come, Irie-kun."

"Ah," the orange head blinked and automatically put a hand on his tummy, although he did not have any stomach cramps. "S-Sure. I'll come."

"Really? That's great!" Tsuna smiled wider and patted Irie's shoulder. "See you then!"

Shoichi nodded and smiled back at the man who had saved the whole world from Byakuran's hands. Actually, he didn't want to come. But he couldn't just say no.

As he watched Decimo walk away hurriedly with a boyish smile on his face, Shoichi began to mutter prayers.

_Please, Buddha please. No more games._

XXX

He wondered if Buddha was sleeping when he prayed last night.

"Let's play a game shall we?" Reborn's voice echoed in the large room as he spoke with a microphone in hand.

"Game?" Tsuna repeated. "Is that why you're wearing _that_ costume?"

The sun arcobaleno smirked under his red tinted, circular wire-framed sunglasses. "Yes. I'm a vampire tonight. Can you guess who?"

Decimo caught a glimpse of his ex-tutor's fake fangs when the latter smirked. "Uh… Dracula?"

"If you say that name backwards, you're correct. [1] Moving on," Reborn turned away from his former student, making his red duster sway a bit, "The little game we're going to play tonight is _Choice_."

A surge of reactions swept the whole room as that word met their ears.

"Of course, we won't be killing each other or anything." the hitman continued, "I suppose you all know how the game works right? You guys will be grouped in to two opposing teams. Now, to be fair, we'll decide who goes to what team via random draw." Suddenly, a huge screen (almost as large as the wall behind him) came slipping down from the ceiling. "The results will be shown on the screen. As you can see, displayed on the screen is a slot-machine like image. When I say 'Choice', the 'gears' will move and decide who will fall to what team. Shall we begin?" when he heard no objections, he turned to the screen once again. "Alright. So then, let's start the game of CHOICE!"

The gears automatically turned and stopped one by one.

"Mukuro, Dino, Kyoko, Yamamoto, I-pin, Bianchi, Spanner, Chrome, Colonello, Shamal, Ken, and Chikusa will be the first group." Reborn said as the results came out.

"Are? Kyoko-chan is on another group…" Haru frowned and looked at her best friend.

"That's alright, Haru-chan." Kyoko smiled at her, trying to cheer her up. "It'll be fun, don't you think?"

"The second team will be:" The sun arcobaleno spoke, before Haru can reply to Kyoko's words, "Tsuna, Haru, Gokudera, Ryohei, Lambo, Hibari, Fuuta, Maman, Iemitsu, Shoichi, Lal Mirch, and Basil. Now, for the target rule…" The gears on the 'slot machine' changed and displayed only two gears. "The target rule is the one you will be aiming to capture. Whoever captures the target rule of the opposing team first wins.

Choice!"

The gears turned… and stopped.

"The first team's target rule is Chrome Dokuro; the second team's is Shoichi Irie."

When Shoichi heard his name he involuntarily gulped.

"What'll be the prize?" Shamal asked nonchalantly. "If the prize is not good I won't participate."

"One wish," Reborn replied, "Whatever wish of your bidding, as long as it's humanely possible, will be granted. Is that enough?"

"_Any _wish, you say?" Mukuro raised a slender eyebrow at the arcobaleno.

"Yes _anything_, within the capabilities of the Vongola Family, of course."

"Kufufufu…" was the only reply the hitman got. Tsuna shuddered a bit. _I think I know what Mukuro will wish for…_

"You said we won't be… _waging_ war against each other. H-How will we fight then?" asked the founder of the said game.

"Good question, Irie." Reborn grinned and adjusted his red fedora, making Leon shift. "Well, it's pretty simple. You'll just have to gather points on every game that the 'slot machine' will choose. The team that gathers the highest points and thus capturing the target rule of the opposing team wins."

"What kind of games will we be playing?" asked Yamamoto.

"It depends. I really don't know what's in there," Reborn pointed to the large screen behind him. "So expect the unexpected. Anymore questions?"

There was silence. And so, the hitman continued.

"You may now choose your group's respective 'Boss'."

"The Tenth should be the Boss!" Gokudera chirped almost immediately.

"B-But Gokudera-kun… we should practice fairness." Tsuna said and looked at his team mates. "Do you guys have any nominations?"

"Tsunayoshi Sawada, you'll be the Boss." Lal replied.

"I agree!" Iemitsu and Basil seconded.

"Good luck Tsu-kun!" Nana said with a smile.

"Ganbatte, Tsuna-nii!" Fuuta added.

"Faito, Tsuna-san!" Haru cheered.

"Why the hell am I NOT with Kyoko to the EXTREME?"

"Yare yare…"

"Hmph."

Shoichi could only smile at Decimo.

Tsuna smiled back, defeated. "A-Alright…"

"Ahahaha, we're a pretty weird bunch, aren't we?" Yamamoto commented with an innocent smile on his face.

"Tell me about it…" Shamal muttered.

"So? Who wants to be 'Boss'?" Dino asked as he looked at his new subordinates.

No one answered… except Mukuro.

"I'll be the 'Boss'." The illusionist grinned and stood up.

Chrome didn't look surprised at Mukuro's proclamation while Ken spoke; "Of course! The only one here who is suited to be Boss is Mukuro-sama!"

Colonello's eyebrow twitched. "Don't be so full of yourself, maggot!"

"You've got a problem 'bout that, Blondie?" Ken stood up to glare at the rain arcobaleno.

Then suddenly, there was an anti-tank rifle pointed at the Kokuyo member.

"Don't mess with me, boy."

"Maa, maa… we won't win if we fight with each other. Calm down, 'kay?" Yamamoto lowered Colonello's large gun and tried to pacify the two hot heads.

Chikusa sighed. "I apologize for this boy's _insolence_."

"What was that, Kakipii?" Ken sharply looked at the eye glassed fellow.

"Sit down, Ken. If you're hit by that thing," he pointed to the massive riffle, "I won't collect your blown-up body parts."

"Well –"

"_Sit_ down, Ken."

Mukuro's voice made him obey like a dog. Bianchi instinctively stepped in front of Kyoko and I-pin, as if protecting them. Spanner looked at the pineapple haired illusionist and stopped toying with his lollies.

"Vongola's Rain is right. We won't win if we argue among ourselves. Arcobaleno," Colonello darted his blue eyes at him, "Please forgive this noisy brat."

The blond soldier 'hmph-ed'. Mukuro smiled an unreadable smile.

"If you have decided, let your Bosses come here."

Tsuna and Mukuro climbed on to the platform and approached Reborn.

"Since this game is much easier than the one we played with the white-haired marshmallow monster," the hitman started, "There will be an extra challenge." He looked at the screen once again. "Choice!"

The gears changed and there was only one left. It moved and the results made Tsuna gape.

"We'll be cosplaying?"

Reborn smiled. Decimo's hyper intuition told him that this 'slot machine' isn't so 'random' at all.

(Gianinni sneezed inside the control room.)

"Now," the Sun Arcobaleno said and turned to Mukuro. "The costumes that are to be worn by your group will be decided randomly too," he then looked at Tsuna, "And the same goes for the second group." The gears changed once again, displaying each team's member, with a corresponding gear above their image.

"Choice!"

The gears moved and stopped once again.

"What the…" Tsuna blinked at the costume assigned to a certain member of his team.

"EHH?"

Reborn tried to muffle the laughter climbing out of his throat. The look on Shoichi's face is just… priceless.

"B-But, Reborn-san, that clothing is…"

"Being the founder of the game, I think it is common knowledge for you to obey the rules and just accept the choice the machine gave out for you."

The orange-head could no longer argue. Tsuna sighed. _He's threatening him so openly…_

"Anyway," Reborn handed out a key to Tsuna and Mukuro. "Here's the key that will open the drawers where your costumes lie. To your right are two rooms that has nothing but drawers and five changing cubicles. When you open a drawer, there will be a note there telling you who will wear that costume and how will you wear it and the like. Within ten minutes, you must come out of that room with your costumes on. If a member is left out, the whole team will be disqualified. The timer starts when I say 'go'."

"Ten minutes! But there's only one key –"

"GO!"

…**After ten back-breaking minutes…**

Tsuna panted as they stumbled out of the room. He was wearing a white coat-tail suit with a black turtle neck inner shirt with gold swirling designs. He also dons a royal blue cloak like Primo's mantello. He pushed himself off the ground, making clicking sounds caused by his leather riding boots. [2]

"What the hell did you make us wear?" Decimo complains.

"Costumes." Reborn answered, making Tsuna face palm.

"Hahi! That suit looks good on you, Tsuna-san!" Haru chirps as she admires the clothes Decimo is wearing. "I only wish I was the princess…" she sighed. Tsuna noted she was wearing a school girl uniform; a white short sleeved shirt with a red ribbon and a grey skirt. [3]

"The stupid woman is right! You look great, Tenth!" Gokudera seconded. He was wearing a school uniform too; a black white-lined jacket with intricate designs. He is also wearing a white shirt and a black vest beneath with a matching red neck tie and black pants. An armband with a rose symbol on it was on his left sleeve. [4]

"Haru is not stupid!" the brown haired girl snapped and frowned at the bomber.

"Can I take this off now? It's kinda irritating…" Lambo muttered as he scratched his back. He was wearing a Victorian inspired outfit; a green coat-tail with a green vest and with matching green shorts. He was also wearing a white shirt beneath and on his neck is a blue ribbon. He had an eye patch on his closed eye. "This is so lame. Why do I have to wear high socks _and_ shorts?" [5]

"Maa, Lambo, we'll just have to endure it." Fuuta's look didn't change much. He wore a white long sleeved shirt and some black pants. And he was holding a black notebook.

"What's that?" inquired Basil, who was dressed in a uniform, much like Gokudera's; only his is a white version. [6]

"Oh, this?" Fuuta held the black notebook up. "It came with the costume. It's a notebook of death. It says that if you write a person's name in it, that person will die within 40 seconds."

"That's one EXTREME notebook." Ryohei approached them. And they stared.

"S-Sasagawa-dono… those are… very _inimitable_ glasses thee art bearing…"

"Yes. I decided to call them EXTREME sunglasses." The sun guardian adjusted his very…uh, pointy orange tinted glasses. [7]

"Then that notebook better be real." Here came Lal, stomping to them in a… a maid's outfit. "That bastard Reborn… he'll pay for this!" [8]

The rest of the second team swore they saw a murderous aura around the ex-rain arcobaleno.

"Now now, Lal," Iemitsu, now wearing a costume you might see in those Shakespearean plays, spoke up and patted her shoulder. "It's not too bad. You look good in it!"

"Sh-Shut up!" the blue haired woman snapped and lit like a bulb. "It doesn't suit me at all! Look at it! It's all frilly and… and girly!"

"Don't say that dear," Nana, who is wearing a costume with the same theme as Iemitsu, smiled at the former arcobaleno. "You're really beautiful in that maid's dress."

"By the way, where's Irie?" Gokudera suddenly spoke, realizing the orange head was no where to be found.

"You're right," Tsuna said and looked at the premises, hoping to find their target rule. And find he did.

"I-Irie…-kun?"

"Waah, don't look at me!"

There was an awkward silence… then Shamal suddenly laughed.

"Shit, hahahaha!" the trident chortled and put a hand on his tummy. "This is better than I had expected, hahahahaha!" the loose kimono he wore almost slid off his shoulders. The long white wig shook as he laughed continuously. [9]

Colonello joined in the laughter, although he wasn't as loud as Shamal. The COMSUBIN soldier was wearing a normal school uniform; a white shirt with a red neck tie and cream-colored pants. [10]

Dino was trying to muffle his laughter, making his blue tinted lenses shake. [11] The fact that a man was wearing something against his will wasn't funny at all. But something in the orange head's expression cracked him up.

Yamamoto smiled. "Wow, I didn't know Irie looked _good_ in those kind of clothes." This made the three laugh in unison.

"Yamamoto… are you just being frank or are you being sarcastic?" Bianchi sighed and looked at the clueless swordsman.

"Hey, come on, don't be rude, guys." Kyoko knitted her eyebrows, as she frowned at the three.

"Kyoko-san is right… you guys are being impolite." I-pin crossed her arms and stared at them.

Spanner sighed, rubbing the 'stitch-mark' on his face as he stared at his now very flustered friend. [12] The make-up is really making his skin itch…

Chrome stared in awe at Shoichi, while Ken's face said something like 'is this for real?'. Chikusa was the only one with a blank expression.

"S-Sorry, hahaha… I-I can't hel- hahahaha!" Shamal broke in to another laugh, making Colonello laugh too. Dino had now started to stop, rubbing his eyes out of tears.

Shoichi wished he could just sink in to the ground in shame, for he was wearing a pink gown, so similar to that of a Britannian Princess of a certain mecha show. His pink wig shifted as he bowed his head. [13] His stomach is aching again.

"I can't let you laugh at the princess."

Shamal and Colonello's chuckles halted as the man in the blue coat spoke.

"If you continue to laugh at _my_ princess… I won't forgive you."

There was, yet another awkward silence… and then Reborn laughed.

"I can't believe you actually followed _that _instruction!" the hitman almost fell from the platform from laughing. "Oh God – hahahahaha!"

Tsuna slowly turned red. "_You_ said we should obey those damn instructions or we'll be disqualified!"

But Reborn could no longer reply. He was drowning in bliss. Shamal laughed louder while Colonello and Dino chuckled uncontrollably.

"S-Sawada-san, i-it's al-alright…" Shoichi muttered and gave out a weak smile.

"No, it's not alright!" Tsuna frowned at Irie's lack of dying will.

"Then I'll consider that as a declaration of war."

When Decimo turned his head, he saw a man in a blackish purple coat; and at the moment that he saw those mismatched eyes, [14] he knew who it was.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada…or should I call you Suzaku? Well, whatever." Mukuro shrugged his shoulders. "I shall steal that precious princess of yours and win in this little game of Choice. And when that happens, I'll make sure the Mafia will fall."

_I knew it._ Tsuna sighed. Doesn't he get tired on trying to take over the Mafia _and_ the world? "I won't let you, Muku- erm… ah, Zero. _We_ will win."

The illusionist smirked. "We'll see."

"Aren't they taking it too seriously?" Colonello murmured, making Yamamoto smile.

"Welcome to the Vongola Family."

~end of part 1~

XXX

A/N: [1] – [14]: can you guess who are they cosplaying as? I'll be including the answers on the second part if some of you didn't get what I was implying. Although, some of them are just descriptions so it kinda hard to guess. XD

Alright. I need your help guys! If you noticed, some of the guys there (Kyoko, Yamamoto, Bianchi, I-pin, Chrome, Ken, and Chikusa) didn't have numbers on them. Well, I haven't decided on who will they be so, can you give me some suggestions? It'll be a GREAT help. ^^

Oh, and, I'm open to your suggestions till December 29. X)

Thanks guys!

Ja ne~


	12. Shoichi Irie part two

A/N: yosh! Here's the second part of chapter 11.** Oh, and I have made a mistake**… this was supposed to happen on **New Years Eve **(December 31) **not **on **New Years day** (which was the one that Tsuna said on the first part). Sorry 'bout that. A

To **Minjiroxx-chan;** *facepalm* how could you not notice? Mukuro is like lulu with a pineapple hair style…and the 'kufufufu' laugh XD they're both EPIC

To **Sabaku no Koori–san**; I'm planning on writing a Varia chapter, and I'll try my best to include Viper there (since Fran had already replaced him in the TYL verse). So please wait for it. ^^

To **hikari-stella-san**; I'm happy I made you laugh…XD

To **Yumiko-Emiko-san**; *gasp* your words made my heart glad… *wipes tears of joy* thank you very much!

To **rikamie2-san**; yup, all your guesses are right. XD

To **dJhAmystery-san**; you almost got all of them correct except for one. But you're awesome coz you guessed what maman and Iemitsu's cosplay costumes are. ^^

To **kawamoyashi-san**; I thought so too! XD Mukuro as Lelouch is sooo perfect, 'coz they both have mismatched eyes and the destroying-the-whole-world thing going on…

To **applestoapples-san**; it's alright; in fact I'm really glad, because you still managed to remember to leave me some awesome reviews even though I'm such a corny writer... I'm so glad to have you people as my audience. XD

To **stormypeach1396**; well, this _is_ a family fic so I try (so hard T.T) to include everyone since, I think, Tsuna will never **ever** forget and set his other family members aside. And I'm sorry about leaving the arcobaleno version of this in the dumps for a while; it's just that I don't write when I don't feel like it. In other words, I'm lazy. XD

I apologize. T.T but I'll get to that when inspiration hits me!

And lastly, to **RealityBitez-san**; heehee, I think alucard suits reborn well too. XD I can't thank you enough for your constant reviews!

**[Rambling ends here.]**

**Discalimer: **I don't own the snack **Pocky™.** And I think I broke a rule of here…well, whatever. XD

Okay. I hope you enjoy part two!

XXX

"Seeing that you two are all fired up," a throne and a little round table with a bottle of wine and a wine glass on it suddenly emerged from the floor while the hitman spoke. "I suppose we can start."

The screen flashed three gears; two that corresponds to the teams and one that corresponds to the game that they will be playing. Reborn sat on the throne and poured himself some wine.

"Choice."

The 'gears' moved and after a few seconds…

"First match: Hibari Kyoya vs. Dino Cavallone. And the game would be…"

All of them stared silently at the result as the last gear stopped.

"The Pocky game."

"Hahi!" Haru almost fell out of her seat as the sun arcobaleno announced the said words. "P-Pocky…Gemu…?"

"I'm sure all of you had heard of it, yes?" from nowhere, the hitman was holding a box of chocolate Pocky.

Dino, who was in his bartender costume, had now turned pale by this time. "Are you out of your mind? We're both _guys_!"

"Do you have any problem with that?"

"Not much, except maybe I'M GOING TO GET 'BITTEN TO DEATH' IF EVER **THAT** HAPPENS!"

"Well, I'm sure you'll _manage_ to survive." Reborn grinned amusedly at his desperate former pupil.

"What's the 'Pocky Game'?" a man in a blue military-like suit (like those of a certain Colonel of a certain alchemist show) asked.

All of them whipped their heads to the speaker's direction.

"Do I have to repeat myself or you herbivores are going to answer my question?"

Tsuna's jaw almost dropped. Even Mukuro and Reborn's expressions froze. Hibari doesn't know what the Pocky game is? _The_ Hibari Kyoya? Seriously? Is this some kind of a joke?

"Well…" Decimo cleared his throat, "It's a game where two people bite the ends of a Pocky stick and then eat it at the same time. The game ends… uh, when the two players have eaten the stick completely and come in _contact_ with each other."

"Hn."

(Insert cricket sounds here.)

"So, shall we start then?" Reborn broke the very awkward silence.

Hibari stood up from his seat. Dino's hopes came crashing down on him. _'Hn' _was his only reaction? WTH is wrong with you, Kyoya? By now the blond was itching to throw that vending machine (that came with his costume) at the cloud guardian, hoping to snap some logic in to the tonfa wielder's head.

Reborn smirked and pushed a button on a remote that came from God knows where. A platform emerged from the floor (you gotta give some credit to the guy who invented floors that open like that) and with it were two chairs facing each other, and a table that had a plate of strawberry pocky on it.

"Let me explain the rules." Reborn started. "The two of you must eat the pocky stick within ten seconds. You cannot let the stick fall from your lips or both of you will be disqualified. After that, you must come to me, here." He motioned to his right, where an 'X' lay. "The guy who comes to me first after your little munch wins 500 points. It's that simple. Questions?"

Neither of the two spoke. "Good." The hitman sat back on his throne. "You guys may now take your seats. The timer will start when I say 'go'."

Both of them took their respective seats. Dino picked a stick and bit on to its end, while Hibari bit on the opposite end.

The screen turned in to a timer, set to ten seconds. The rest of them gulped. Tsuna already called for an ambulance.

"Go!"

Both of them bit the sweet treat at the same time, but after that one bite, Hibari stopped. _Shit, has he realized what will happen when we continue this?_ Dino thought as he noticed the raven haired guardian halt. He braced himself for that tonfa, but the steel weapon never came to hit him. Either way, he still continued munching.

He heard gasps from the girls when he inched faster and faster to the once prefect's lips, but, alas, Hibari Kyoya didn't react. Still cool as steel. "Five more seconds left," Reborn announced and Dino was millimetres away from Kyoya's lips, when suddenly, the latter let go of his hold of the treat; saving himself from that forbidden kiss.

Hibari smirked as the Cavallone boss ate down the last bit of the pocky stick.

And then he rushed to Reborn.

Dino heard his ex-tutor say "Game over", and the cloud guardian was there, standing on the 'X' mark.

So that leaves this question: why didn't he run too?

Ken scowled. "Hey horse! What the hell are you doing! You're supposed to go there at the 'X' thing, damn it!"

"I…I can't move…" the Cavallone Boss muttered, terrified by his realization.

Reborn smiled mischievously. "So the poison moved _that_ fast huh… I'm impressed, Bianchi."

"P-Poison…?" Gokudera trailed off.

"Those sticks," the hitman began, "Were made by Bianchi. They were mixed in with a poison that messes with your nervous system. That's why Dino couldn't move."

"Y-You never said anything about the sticks being poisoned!" Dino shouted as he struggled to move his limbs.

"I never said anything about you guys having to eat the _whole_ stick either." The hitman replied. "I said you can eat it, not finish it."

And then the idea hit Dino. "You…" his eyes widened as Hibari's smirk turned in to a triumphant and amused smile. "You knew all along… You purposely held on to that stick so that I would finish it!"

"Hmph. You lost because you're weak."

Shamal chuckled by the nonchalant reply of the cloud guardian. Before Dino can retort, Reborn spoke.

"Team two wins the first match."

"Yaata!" Haru exclaims, punching upward.

"What an EXTREME way to win, Hibari!"

"A-Arigato, Hibari-san." Tsuna bowed lightly when the cloud guardian treaded back to his seat. The latter merely nodded.

"Maybe you should have lightened the _potency_ of the poison you put in the stick, Bianchi-san…" I-pin muttered while Bianchi dragged the half paralyzed Cavallone Boss back to their side.

"No," Bianchi replied. "This guy is just an idiot."

"Hey, I can hear you, you know!"

Yamamoto chuckled as the blond retorted. "Don't worry, there's still another round. We'll just have to try our best again to win the next!"

"Choice!"

The word snapped them away from their conversations; making them turn to the abnormally large screen beside Reborn's throne.

"Second match: Lal Mirch and Lambo vs. Colonello and I-pin."

Colonello grinned. Lal glared at him.

"And the challenge… it's a troublesome one." Reborn looked at the screen, lifting his red tinted glasses. "It's a test of popularity." The hitman stood up from his throne to read the instructions on the screen. "There is a New Year's Otaku convention going on in Akibahara. There, the participants must attract as many people as they can with in the span of five minutes. The person who gathers the most number of people within the allotted time wins 1000 points."

"Yare yare…" Lambo sighed, still scratching his back. "A convention? We're going to a convention in _these_ clothes?"

"It's an Otaku convention, and you people are cosplaying. It'll be the perfect cover."

"Get us there." Lal said (more like ordered) as she stood up. The lightning guardian followed her, feeling a bit anxious.

"Alright, alright." Reborn rolled his eyes. "Your ride will be here shortly."

And then moments after that, a helicopter came flying outside, levelling itself to the hall they were in. Inside was Kusakabe; piloting the machine with ease.

"At exactly 9:00 PM," Reborn began again, "The game will officially start. Kusakabe will be the one holding the timer and supervising the whole challenge."

"We'll win this one, hey!" Colonello smiled.

"We'll be going then," I-pin bowed to her team mates.

"Ganbatte ne, Lal-chan!" Nana cheered.

"_We'll_ win this." Lal almost hissed, as she continued glaring at her former student. "I won't let that maggot beat _me_!"

Lambo sighed. "Sure, sure, come on, let's go…"

And within a couple of minutes, the four were gone.

"So, we're just going to sit here and wait?" Iemitsu asked the host.

Reborn beamed at the external advisor. "Of course not."

XXX

"Whoah, there are so many people…" I-pin murmured while they treaded the packed streets of Akibahara.

"You're right about that, hey!" Colonello turned his head from left to right, viewing the busy and ecstatic crowd.

"Damn." Lal cursed, her breath turning in to white puffs. "Why do I have to wear a stupid and short maid costume in this weather…" she rubbed her hands on her arms, trying to warm herself.

"Here," Colonello offered his bright green jacket (it was a part of his costume, although he didn't wear it at the beginning). "If you're cold then –"

"I don't need _your_ help." the blue haired ex-commander snapped.

Colonello retracted his hand. "Fine…" he turned to I-pin, who was busy sight-seeing. "How about you? Aren't you cold? You're practically wearing the same thing as the demon here." he pointed to Lal. Lal glared at him more. "You can have my jacket if you want, hey."

"No, it's alright," I-pin replied with a smile. "My master had once trained me to fight in climates harsher than this. But, thank you for your offer, Colonello-san."

"You're so cute and _feminine_, I-pin-chan, definitely not like _someone_ here who's _so_ not cute and unfeminine…"

"Ahem, uh, you know," Lambo had now spoken, "It's already 9:02 so you guys may want to cut back on the jacket and unfeminine crap…"

Meanwhile, everyone left in the base had now sweatdropped as they watched the scenes on the screen.

"Kyaa~ Usui-kun!"

The four whipped their heads to the three approaching girls.

"Are they looking at me, hey...?"

"He looks just like him, doesn't he?" an eyeglassed girl cooed dreamily.

"Usui-kun, can we take a picture of you?" the girl in ponytails asked, holding up a camera.

"Huh?" Colonello turned his head lightly, utterly confused why these girls are practically drooling over him and calling him 'Usui'.

"O-Of course, you can take a picture!" I-pin butted in, seeing the blond had no clue what to say. "But, you have to bring…uh, some people with you first," she smiled, "Many people, okay?"

"Wow, look at that, she's going as Hatsune Miku," a guy tugged at his friends sleeve who turned to look at I-pin too. "Look at those legs…"

I-pin turned red as she heard the comment and tugged on her short outfit, wanting to cover her exposed thighs.

"Hey, watch your words." Colonello stepped in front of I-pin protectively, making the two guys back away. And then, he heard the terrifying scream… of fan girls.

"Kyaaaaaa!~ Kakko ii~"

And so, Colonello and I-pin drowned in the crowd of crazed and smitten girls.

"We can't lose to them!" Lal shouted, all fired up. Lambo, on the other hand, was pretty much bored. "OI! YOU PEOPLE! COME HERE, DAMN IT!"

A couple of heads turned, including the two who commented about I-pin's thighs.

"It's Misaki-chan…" a chubby guy walked over to Lal as he held a DS.

"M-Misaki?" Lal blinked.

"Waa, she so cute," another guy walked to Lal. "Can you pose for me?" he held up a camera.

"W-What the hell are you saying?" she snapped angrily. "Why would I do that?"

"She's so in-chara…" yet another had approached her. "_Spank_ me, Misa-chan."

From all the anger and irritation Lal Mirch was feeling, she completely forgot how cold the weather was as she lashed at the guys who either tried to take a picture of her or requested some 'spanking'.

Meanwhile, Lambo had been quietly observing the ruckus, and ignoring the fanatical looks that some of the passing girls threw at him.

XXX

"So, who won?" Colonello asked as the four of them settled back in to their seats, now completely safe from those fan girls. Who could have thought they could be so deadly?

"Well, as Kusakabe here had written," Reborn replied, "It seems… that the fan girls out numbered the perverts. You guys won."

"Alright!" the blond soldier grinned and high-five'd with I-pin. The Chinese martial artist smiled, for they have earned a lead.

"How can this be?" Lal immediately objected. "I'm pretty sure –"

"Lal Mirch," Reborn cut her off, "Let it go would you? It's just a silly game."

"But –"

"Lal-san," Decimo said and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. We'll score on the next game."

The blue haired vixen hmph'ed and mumbled something about not losing the next time she and a certain blond duelled it out.

"Moving on," the hitman said as they have settled down, "Let's have the third match, shall we?

Choice!"

They impatiently waited for the results and after a few heartbeats…

"Third match: Spanner vs. Ryohei. And the game they will be playing is the 'Staring Game'."

"YOSH!" Ryohei stood up, his extreme energy pouring out from every pore of his being. "Let's do this to the EXTREME!"

"Good luck, Ryohei-nii!" Fuuta cheered.

"You better win this one lawn-head." Gokudera, who had momentarily remembered the oh-so merry days of his childhood, frowned. "Don't make the Tenth look bad."

"We believe in thy 'extreme' aptitude, Sasagawa-dono!" Basil exclaimed.

"Listen, Simon, never forget. Just believe in yourself! Not in the Simon that I EXTREMELY believe in, not in the Kamina that you EXTREMELY believe in, believe in the Simon... that EXTREMELY believes in you!"

Basil was left speechless. Believe it.

"What the fuck was that?" Gokudera blurted out after a while.

"Who's Simon? Is that your second name, Basil?" Iemitsu asked.

"I…I didn't understand what he said…" Fuuta put a finger on his chin.

"M-Me neither." Tsuna seconded.

"Now, the same rules apply here," Reborn said as Ryohei and Spanner walked forward to the platform, "The first one who blinks loses. There is no time limit of course. The winner in this game gets 1500 points."

Spanner who has an abnormally large screw poking out of his head simply nodded, his hands still buried in the pockets of his weird stitched up lab coat.

"Let's begin this EXTREME game!" Ryohei shouted and sat on the seats provided. Spanner sat opposite the sun guardian.

"Alright," the hitman nodded, "You may start then."

Stare.

STARE.

Stare.

STARE!

Stare..

STARE!

Stare…

STAAAAARRRE!

Stare…

SSSTAAAAAAAAAARRRE!

…Stare.

SSSSSSSSTAAAAAAAARRRE!

…Stare…

"GAAAH! MY EYES!"

Gokudera facepalmed. "Idiot."

"O-Onii-chan!" Kyoko stood up and rushed to her brother while the latter clutched his closed eyes.

"GAH! IT HURTS TO THE EXTREME!"

"Of course it'd hurt you moron! What are you trying to do, squeeze your eyeballs out?" the storm guardian shouted.

Reborn sighed. "The first Team wins."

Decimo, like his teacher, also sighed.

So much for that believing crap.

~end of part 2~

A/N: as promised, here are the characters that the KHR guys and gals cosplayed:

-Reborn as Alucard from Hellsing (don't own it)

-Tsuna, Sho-chan and Nappo as Suzaku, Euphemia, and Zero/Lelouch from Code Geass (Don't own this one either)

-Fuuta as Light/Raito from death note (Oh Lord I wish I had a real death note)

-Hibari as Col. Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist (insert disclaimer here)

-Dino-saur as Shizuo Heiwajima from Durarara! (still don't own this. T.T)

-Colonello and Lal as Usui and Misaki from Maid-sama! (…yeah life sucks)

-Lambo as Ciel Phantomhive from Kuroshitsuji (I disclaim this one also as well as the following…)

-I-pin as Miku Hatsune from Vocaloid

-Spanner as Prof. Franken Stein from Soul Eater

-Ryohei as Kamina from Gurren Lagann. (I know. They're both epic. XD)

and the rest, I'll reveal them on the last part: part three. And also… **PLEASE** suggest something… I still don't have any idea on who Yamamoto, Chikusa, Ken and Bianchi will cosplay… so please, please give me suggestions. Please. T.T

anyway, to you, the reader, thank you for…well, reading! XD

Ciaociao~


	13. Shoichi Irie part three

A/N: thank you to **applestoapples** for her…or his wonderful suggestions. XD

To **dJhAmystery**: sadly, I don't watch the shows you suggested (except Fairy Tail), ergo I don't know those characters you mentioned…T.T but thanks so much, either way. ^^

To **Yumiko**-**Emiko**-**san**: well… technically, they're in Japan. Just assume that Tsuna built another base or something. As you said, its fanfiction. Anything can happen. XD

**Disclaimer**: don't own the song 'Colours of the heart'. It belongs to my fave band, UVERworld.

XXX

"The official scores are: Team one with 500 points and Team two with 2500 points."

"Look at what you've done, lawn head!" Gokudera shouted at the sun guardian.

"Sorry, I didn't know that staring games are extremely _hard_ to win… I was too confident." Ryohei admitted honestly, as he closed both eyes.

While Decimo tried his best to stop his right hand from throwing explosives at the extreme sun guardian, Reborn announced the next participants.

Fourth match: Shamal and Ken vs. Iemitsu and Maman; the game is arm wrestling."

"Wh-What?" Decimo stood up from his seat. "I can't agree to this!"

"I definitely won't stand to see my dear Nana being hurt by these _unscrupulous_ men!" Iemitsu added after that.

"Who you callin' unscrupulous?" Ken scowled.

"Don't be so nasty external advisor. We're gentlemen, despite our looks." Shamal stood up and crossed his arms.

"And I'm supposed to believe _that_ when you're dressed as a pervy sage from a show where the lead always says 'dattebayo'!"

"I'll be okay," Nana smiled sweetly; patting the shoulder of the two men she loved the most. "Besides, arm wrestling isn't so bad."

"Isn't so bad?" Tsuna repeated.

"It's the _epitome_ of everything that's bad!" Iemitsu exclaimed.

"Maman," Reborn called, and Nana turned to him, "Will you back out of the game? It'll be alright if you don't wanna continue, but if you do back out, this round will automatically go to team one."

Nana smiled at the hitman. "It's alright Reborn-chan, I won't back out."

The sun arcobaleno grinned, satisfied by her answer. Decimo and Iemitsu frowned.

The hitman began again, "Okay, listen up: whoever wins in this game earns 2000 points. The same rules in a normal game of arm wrestling also apply here. However, since there are two pairs," he paused, "I guess we have to split the points. Fair enough?"

The players nodded and so, Reborn sat back and said; "You may now sit. When I say go, the match will officially start."

The four of them did as told and got ready.

"I guess I'll go easy on you since… you're a girl." Ken, who was dressed as the lead in the show Iemitsu mentioned earlier, muttered as he held Nana's hand.

The woman who almost everyone called 'Maman' smiled at him. "Please do."

"Juliet~" Iemitsu sang, "I'll save you when I'm done here!"

"Oh, Romeo," Nana blushed like a smitten fan girl. "Dear Romeo!"

"Would you two cut that out, it's disturbing." Shamal sighed and positioned his arm on the table provided. Iemitsu puffed his cheeks and copied what Shamal did and muttered something like 'stingy'.

And without warning and hesitation the hitman said: "Go!"

And within the next three seconds, everyone was left out of words.

Maman had won over Joshima Ken.

"Wh-Wha…?" the Kokuyo gang member couldn't produce comprehensible words as he saw his hand pinned by the gentle lady's hand. "H-How d-did you –"

"Team two earns 1000 points."

"YAY!" Decimo's dad leaped in joy. "You did it Nana! I'm so proud of you, I lov –"

"Team one earns 1000 points."

"What?" Gokudera exclaimed in disbelief.

"He let go of Shamal's hand, resulting in to automatic disqualification." The hitman stated simply.

"It's alright, it's alright!" Iemitsu said gleefully, cuddling his beloved. "We won 1000 points because of Nana!"

Decimo sighed. Sometimes he didn't know if he should be happy or pissed about his father's almost fanatical love over his mom.

"Alright. Let's move on." Reborn continued. "Choice!"

The gears moved and then he announced: "Fifth match: Kyoko, Bianchi, and Chikusa vs. Haru, Fuuta and Basil. The game will be Russian Roulette."

"R-Russian Roulette?" Tsuna stuttered as he remembered a distant memory involving that deadly game.

"Do you remember this game, Dame-Tsuna? We had so much fun playing it, didn't we?"

Decimo shuddered at the memory. Kyoko being shot and almost killing his mother wasn't really 'fun' in his book. [1]

"Russian Roulette is a game of luck. It's a game where you place one round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, aim the gun on your head, and then pull the trigger. It's an exciting game, isn't it?"

"What's so exciting about that?" Tsuna snapped. "Someone might die if we play that game!"

"Don't worry about it too much, Tsuna." Bianchi, who's clad in a sexy nurse's outfit, said. "No one's gonna die tonight. Just believe in the power of love and everything's going to be fine."

Tsuna sweatdropped. No power of love is going to stop that bullet when it hits these people's brains, that's for sure.

Reborn pushed another button and then a table with six guns came out from the floor, once more. "Here are six revolvers loaded with one bullet. Unlike in the original Russian roulette, in tonight's game you will be partnered with the opposite team's member. Each of you will fire a gun at the other. Whoever gets shot wins 3000 points."

"I disagree to this!" Tsuna said as he looked at Reborn. "This is unreasonable!"

"It's alright, Tsu-kun." Kyoko, who's dressed like a certain big-busted orange head (when she got imprisoned) from a show that sounds like a cleanser or whitener, assured the young mafia boss. "I'm sure Reborn-kun didn't load these guns with real bullets."

"That's right! It's a test of trust, Tsuna-san!" Haru, who's dressed as a certain shinigami (who has a really hot captain for a brother) in the same show, chirped.

The hitman smiled, revealing his fangs. Tsuna could no longer object after this.

Maybe believing in that love thing might work…

"Face your partners."

The three pairs did as told.

"Hold up your guns to your partner's head."

Haru and Kyoko pointed the gun at each other, and so did Bianchi and Fuuta and Basil and Chikusa.

"You guys better think of those little regrets you're keeping, 'coz tonight might be your last." Reborn smirked playfully, and Decimo's hyper intuition told him something very plausible when he heard the word _regret_.

"Fire."

And then there was a gunshot heard.

"K-Kakimoto-dono!" Basil exclaimed as he rushed to help the eyeglassed Kokuyo member as the latter just got shot and fell to the ground, presumably dead.

"UWAAAAAAH! CONFESS THESE SECRETS WITH MY DYING WILL!"

And then the rest went silent.

Chikusa, who was dressed as the 'low-blood pressure king' of a show about host clubs, had no clothes on anymore except his smiley studded boxers. He then pointed at Mukuro.

"MUKURO-SAMA SINGS 'BAD ROMANCE' WHILE HE'S IN THE SHOWER!"

The illusionist's mouth fell open. "I do _not_!"

"CHROME CHANGED HER HAIRSTYLE BECAUSE SHE HATES THE PINEAPPLE HAIRSTYLE!"

Chrome blushed wildly. "Th-That's not true!"

"KEN FANTASIZES ABOUT CHROME WHEN HE'S ASLEEP!"

Ken turned red. "Hey!"

"XANXUS HAS A FETISH FOR BLACK STOCKINGS AND CAT EARS!"

"SQUALO'S SHAMPOO IS LOREAL!"

"BELPHEGOR LOVES TO WATCH HENTAI!"

"LUSSURIA THINKS TSUNAYOSHI SAWADA'S GUARDIANS ARE HOT!"

"LEVI A THAN IS GAY FOR XANXUS!"

"FRAN – uhg…" the flame on Chikusa's head extinguished. "Huh?"

The poor megane member of Kokuyo gang saw a mixture of faces after his dying will mode. "Wha…What happened?" he asked in a monotone voice.

"And?" Reborn urged him to continue. "And what's that secret about Fran…?"

"Lussuria thinks that we're what?" Yamamoto blinked, a bit puzzled.

"Chikusa," cooed Mukuro, his trident ready to strike him, "What were you saying about me singing something…?"

"You're dead meat, Kakipii!" Ken scowled at his dark haired comrade.

XXX

"That match was pretty interesting, although we should move on to the next and last round."

Chikusa rubbed his swollen cheek unconsciously and sighed. It wasn't his fault. Being quiet has its advantages okay?

"Choice!"

"Sixth and seventh match: Gokudera Hayato and Sawada Tsunayoshi vs. Yamamoto Takeshi and Rokudo Mukuro."

"Our matches will be done at the same time?" Decimo asked.

"Let me explain: the sixth match, where Gokudera and Yamamoto will be participating in will set the time limit of the seventh match where you and Mukuro will participate. The game done on the sixth match will be… another game of popularity. Although it's not like what Lal and the others have done. It's… more attention seeking, I suppose."

Gokudera turned to look at the screen very, _very_ carefully. Yamamoto beamed his 1000-watt smile when he saw what they were going to do.

"W-We're going to sing?"

"Yes," Reborn answered the storm guardian, "There's a singing competition on the same Otaku convention in Akibahara. Both of you will battle it out on who is favoured by the audience more. The winner will get 5000 points."

"On the same time," the hitman added, "Tsuna and Mukuro will be searching for each other's target rule."

And then that's when they realized Chrome and Shoichi were missing.

"Chrome and Irie had been sent out on two different locations, exactly 10 kilometers from the stage where Gokudera and Yamamoto will be performing. The challenge of the seventh match is to find the target rule of the other team within the time limit; which is the duration of Gokudera and Yamamoto's song. Failure to find the target rule of the opposing team will result in disqualification. All the scores you got so far will also be rendered useless. That means the one who'll win in this match wins this little game of Choice."

"Any questions?"

Neither of the two bosses replied.

"Alright." The hitman grinned. "Shall we go to Akibahara then?"

XXX

"On the location where Chrome and Irie are, there is a timer set to 3 minutes and 52 seconds. These timers will automatically turn on when Yamamoto and Gokudera starts their performance. The timers will only stop when you disable it by your own flames. Any methods of searching are allowed."

Tsuna nodded, and shifted in to his hyper dying will mode. Mukuro just grinned, pretty much amused.

"Get ready then." Reborn smirked, his words making white puffs of breaths as they waited for their cue.

"It's snowing pretty hard, isn't it?" Haru looked up and stopped in her tracks, as fluffs of white came pouring down from the night sky.

"I hope Chrome-chan and Irie-kun are alright." Kyoko said as she opened the door to the theatre, with pure worry in her voice.

A drop of snow came sashaying on to Decimo's gloved hand.

The lights on the stage came alive and there stood Yamamoto, dressed like a certain swordsman exorcist as he held a microphone.

The music blasted out of the speakers and the crowd became alive.

"_**Ano hi boku no kokoro wa oto mo naku kuzure satta**__**  
**__**Kowarete saken demo keshi sare nai kioku to**__**  
**__**Kurayami ga hitomi no naka he to nagare komu**__**  
**__**Mou iro sae mie nai ashita he to shizumu…"**_

Within a heart beat, Tsuna flew away with a burst of sky flames while Mukuro dissipated in to purple mist.

'_This cold, this snowfall…'_ Tsuna whispered as he flew in amazing speeds, '_It isn't going to stop soon.'_

_It's going to get worse._

"_**Wakari aeru hi wo tomedo naku sagashita**__**  
**__**Ushinau tame dake ni ima wo ikiteku**__**  
**__**Mou dame da to hitori kodoku wo daite mo**__**  
**__**If you turn on the lights…**__**  
**__**Hikari he terashiteku…"**_

Shoichi sighed, his breath turning white as soon as it left his lips.

He shivered and hugged himself, trying his best to warm up. His back was bare and the cold came like a hammer pounding on his skin. He noticed that the timer beside him had now started. "It's finally begun huh?" he managed to whisper.

He kicked the high heels off of his feet and huddled his legs closer to the cloth of his pink gown. His fingers felt numb and his head started to hurt.

He could only wish that this'll be over soon.

_**"'Negai tsuzukeru omoi itsuka irodzuku yo'" to**__**  
**__**Oshiete kureta kokoro ni ikitsudukeru hito**__**  
**__**Nanimo kamo hitsuzen no naka de umareru Colors**__**  
**__**Mou ichido kono te de asu wo egakeru kara…"**_

"_Mukuro-sama…"_

He hears her call, and he opens his mismatched eyes.

The snow was falling harder by the second, and he almost couldn't see what's in front of him.

"Kufufufu~… what a troublesome game this is…" he states humourlessly. The cold air made his long blue hair dance as he moved forward.

"_Mukuro-sama…"_ he hears her call again. He grins.

"You are even more troublesome, Chrome..."

"_**Itsu no ma ni ka boku wa nakusu koto ni mo nare**__**  
**__**Te ni ireta mono sae yubi wo surinuketeku**__**  
**__**Namida ga kareru mae ni kiki takatta kotoba wa**__**  
**__**Ima wa dareka wo sukuu tame ni…"**__**  
(**__**It's all your fate. You gonna do that)**_

The crowds were going crazy as another made his appearance: a man with pale silver hair and with even paler skin. He held the microphone in his hands and sang with a light coating of pink on his cheeks.

Gokudera Hayato didn't like the attention, unlike Yamamoto who's practically the 'Karaoke King' of the Vongola.

The swordsman chuckled as he watched his friend sing rather awkwardly in front of hundreds of people. The bomber held back on throwing a dynamite or two at the baseball idiot.

_**"'Hikari ga tsuyoku nareba yami mo fukaku naru'" to**__**  
**__**Kidzuita toshite mo osoreru koto wa nai yo**__**  
**__**Nanimo kamo kokoro no hate ni umareru Colors**__**  
**__**Mou hitomi wo hiraite mitsumerareru kara…"**_

The winds made him shiver more, and slowly, he was feeling rather sleepy and dizzy. He let his head rest on his knees and he closed his eyes.

"_You are a hero; you know that, Tsunayoshi-kun?"_

"_Huh? Why did you say that?"_

"_Because you're risking your life to save the world. You're risking yours and your comrade's lives to defeat Byakuran."_

_Then he heard the brown haired man laugh lightly._

"_I'm no hero, Irie-kun. In fact," he smiles, "I'm a very selfish man."_

"_Huh?"_

"_I'm not doing this for the world. I'm doing this for my family; for those who are close to me. I always put my family first above anything else, you see. If there's a hero here, it has to be you."_

"_Wh-What? Me?"_

"_Yup! Without you, this plan will never work. It's all thanks to you, Irie-kun."_

_**"**__**Kanashimi no Breath**__**  
**__**Sore wa sagashiteta iro wo **__**  
**__**Nijimaseru yo oto mo tatezu ni…"**_

"_Irie-kun…"_

"_Irie-kun!"_

"Irie-kun!"

He opens his eyes and he sees his amber orbs filled with concern. "Are you alright?"

Shoichi notices he's now covered in Tsuna's blue coat. Decimo's hair that was done to imitate the character he's cosplaying as was now dishevelled; his natural spikes poked here and there. He was also panting quite heavily as he held the talented mechanic.

"Wh-What are you d-doing here? You're supposed to go to Chrome, not me! We're going to lose, Tsunayoshi-kun! H-Hurry! You have to –"

"And then leave you here? Look at yourself. You're all red," he then put an ungloved hand on his forehead, "And you're burning. You're on the verge of fainting when I came here! We've got to get you home fast."

"B-But Tsunayoshi-kun –"

"_Shoichi_," Decimo called him as he returned to his hyper mode, making the orange head stop. "Have you forgotten those words I told you after we created the plan to defeat Byakuran?"

_I always put my family first above anything else._

"'_**Negai tsuzukeru omoi itsuka irodzuku yo'" to**__**  
**__**Oshiete kureta kokoro ni ikitsudukeru hito**__**  
**__**Nanimo kamo hitsuzen no naka de umareru Colors**__**  
**__**Mou ichido terasu yo hikari no yubisaki de…**_

The two sang in unison, sending roaring screams within the theatre.

_**Just drawing... Colors in light and darkness**__**  
**__**And take it... Colors in light and darkness**__**  
**__**Ima wa todoka nai yasashii iro mo**__**  
**__**Subete wa mata kono te de egaki naoseru kara…"**_

"M-Mukuro-sama…"

He held out his hand while a gentle smile grazed his lips.

"Let's go home now, my cute Chrome."

XXX

"Well, it seems that both of you went after your own team's target rule."

Chrome shyly sipped the hot chocolate that Maman brought for her earlier.

Irie put his hands on that warm cup and cherished the heat.

"Seriously, Reborn. Don't do that anymore." Decimo scratched his head. "You're endangering the people involved."

"That's what you're here for, aren't you?"

A light coating of red spread over Tsuna's cheeks. "Wh-What am I, some kind of bodyguard?"

"Oh, so if that's not it, then it must be that you have a hero complex."

"What?"

"That must be it."

"No!"

As the teacher and the student once again engage in an unending and very silly argument, the Shoichi couldn't help but to feel thankful.

He was glad to have become Tsunayoshi Sawada's comrade.

"Since the choice game ended up like this because of Tsuna's hero complex, let's play another one!"

Okay. Maybe not.

~Fin~

A/N:

[1] if you haven't read the manga, they played the Russian roulette on chapter six.

-Iemitsu and Maman as Romeo and Juliet

-Shamal and Ken as Jiraiya and Naruto from Naruto (Dattebayo!)

-Bianchi as Mikuru Asahina in her nurse get-up from Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

-Basil and Ahodera as Kaname Kuran and Zero Kiryuu

-Kyoko as Orihime Inoue in the Hueco Mundo arc; Haru as Rukia Kuchiki

-Chrome (although I didn't describe what she was wearing, lol) as Nunna-chan from Code Geass

-Kakipii as Kyoya…Ootori from Ouran high school host club. XD

-Yamamocchan as Kanda Yu from D. Gray-man

And I, I don't own any of these characters or shows. *goes to emo corner*

Okay. Honestly I wrote this one out just to amuse myself…that's why I made Yamamoto and Stupidera sing. XD

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this one. The characters are a bit OOC, but I kinda made it that way. I won't have fun if they weren't. ^^

Thanks for reading!

Happy New Year, everyone! (how many times have I said this? *facepalm*)

CiaoCiao~


	14. Seven Guardians

A/N: for being gone for almost a month, I sincerely apologize. I've been concentrating on my studies more so I couldn't make time to write. Anyway, this month's chapter (**month**. I didn't write _anything_ for a month. I can't believe it. O_O) will be relatively short, since I still haven't thought of anything to write for the Varia (this chappie should have been about them). I'm terribly sorry about this. T.T

shout outs:

timisnotmyname: i'm glad i managed to make you laugh somehow. XD

applestoapples: those suggestions were really helpful... i hope you can give me some again, this time?

KusajishiFuktaicho: don't worry, i'm a hopeless angst fan too. *high fives with you* and a gokudera chappie? sure. XD your request will be next, after the varia chapter. and THANK YOU! *speaks like basil* my heart is gladdened from thy wonderful praises thou have given un to me. and lastly, about the 5986 hints...nope, i don't ship them, but if you interpret it that way, feel free to do so. ^^

RealityBitez: yup, total irony there... XD

Yumiko-Emiko: you have given me so much love! ^^ thanks a lot!

minji: don't you ever imagine mukuro singing bad romance? i think it's really possible XD... and oretachi no joy doesn't really suit kanda and zero, so... yeah.

moving on, i hope you guys enjoy this chappie.

dozo~

* * *

Ryohei involuntary gulped as a trail of sweat came cascading down his forehead.

"I hope you two can do it." Tsuna stated as he gazed straight at his guardian's eyes, making Chrome hold her breath absent-mindedly.

"Isn't it a bit dangerous?" Yamamoto spoke as he sat on a nearby sofa, making the attention shift to him. "If anything goes wrong, we'll sure be _annihilated_."

"He's right, Tenth." Gokudera added, pale green eyes gleaming in the early morning light. "Maybe there's another way…"

"I know it's dangerous, but I think it's worth the risk." Decimo said. "Anyway, when something does go wrong, I'll buy you guys time to escape."

"You sure about that?" Lambo popped a candy in to his mouth. "The last time you did that, you were in the hospital for a week."

"I know." Decimo replied knowingly, "But it must be done. At _any_ cost."

A moment of silence passes by and then Tsuna speaks again.

"It's all up to you, Nii-san, Chrome. I'm counting on you."

"Aa." Ryohei answers and Chrome nods once.

Amber eyes travel to the portraits and pictures of the past generations that once dominated the Vongola. Tsuna knows well that he cannot back away from this responsibility. Even the Ninth had supported him about this.

At the back of his mind, he really did not want to pursue this matter. He's endangering his guardian's lives after all – especially that of Ryohei and Chrome's. But what can he do? He doesn't have any other choice.

And so he dismisses his two guardians to fulfil their mission and the rest of them wish them good luck.

* * *

"Hibari."

Cold steel eyes travel to the speaker.

Ryohei breathes in deeply and exhales long. "This is extremely important for Sawada; that's why I want you to cooperate fully."

The cloud guardian raises his cup to his lips and sipped some tea. Something is odd but he chooses to ignore it. "I believe you know well that I do not care what that herbivore prioritizes."

"Yes, I know that," the sun guardian answers. "And I know that no matter what he does, you'll never obey whatever he says." He stands and stares seriously at Hibari, earning him the latter's attention.

"That is why he extremely chose me for this mission."

* * *

"What is it, my dear Chrome?"

Her purple eyes stayed down on the ground as she started fidgeting.

Mukuro blinked and raised her chin with a finger. "Tell me what you're thinking."

The violet haired girl blushed by his action and tried to evade his gaze. "It's… it's just that I…"

"Hmm?" the illusionist hummed to tell her he was listening.

Chrome steps back and Mukuro attentively stares at her next action.

* * *

"YOU'RE COMING WITH ME TO THE EXTREME!"

Hibari couldn't process what was really going on, but he was sure on one thing: Ryohei is dragging him out of his own base with such amazing speed.

"VRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!"

He stared at the white haired man pulling him in to the hallways of the Vongola base and tried to do something, but found that he could not. Ryohei was pulling him so forcefully that Hibari was sure that if he ever tried to stop him, he'd only fail and end up losing his footing, and suffer an epic fall. If there was something that's more painful than what Yamamoto had gone through when he run in to that fateful wall that Genkishi made (the so-called facewall event), it'll be this. It'll be his face and the floor (or, possibly the walls too), _and_ friction. He doesn't have a coined word for it at the moment, but he's sure that it'll really hurt.

So Hibari Kyoya lets Ryohei drag him to Buddha knows where as he pondered how the hell will he escape from the sticky situation he's in.

* * *

"Pineapple head!"

A smile freezes on Mukuro's handsome face and for a moment he asks himself if he had heard right.

"You're a pineapple head, Mukuro-sama!"

While he mentally replayed Chrome's sweet voice saying that _insult_ straight to his face, the girl in question suddenly speeds away, as if some monster was chasing her.

Then again, the word suits Mukuro well, don't you think?

"Why did you call me that, dear Chrome?" he chased her, still that smile plastered on his face.

The poor girl ran faster and didn't answer. Mukuro smiled wider.

"_Tell me why, my dear Nagi._" It sounded more like a threat now, and Chrome felt the hairs on her arms stand. She couldn't help but to release a muffled (scared) squeal as she felt him closing in on her like a predator.

"I'm sorry!" she finally says, but weird, why did she set up an illusion, as if trying to evade him?

"You know those _can't_ fool me," Mukuro stated with his syrupy voice, still running after her.

_I know,_ Chrome tells herself and sets up those weak illusions, one after another, hoping that it'll slow him down, at the very least.

Just a little time is all she needed, after all.

* * *

"They're here!"

Hibari heard a figure shout. He sees that up ahead, there was a wooden door where Sawada's right-hand stood.

"HERE WE COME!"

Mukuro almost halted when Chrome spun around to face him.

"What –"

And then the next thing he knew was that Chrome was holding his hand and pulling him toward a door where Vongola's swordsman waited.

The doors opened and the six of them bursts in to the room.

"Quickly!" Tsuna orders, motioning them to come closer and they do, with Hibari and Mukuro having no choice but to obey.

A pair of steel orbs and one of mismatched ones stare curiously at Reborn, who was also there holding a device which made everything make sense.

"Say cheese, idiots."

_Flash._

* * *

"Ninth," his right-hand bowed and handed him a small envelope, "This came from Decimo."

The Ninth nodded in recognition and opened it. He took out the content which was a photograph.

Ryohei posed with a fist punched upward, while his other arm was swung over the cloud guardian's shoulder.

Hibari, who got squeezed together with Yamamoto, looked like he saw a ghost.

Yamamoto, who was near Tsuna, looked like he was laughing while the picture was taken.

Gokudera's head bumped with Decimo's as Mukuro got pushed closer to them by Chrome.

Mukuro's eyes were closed as he glanced at the camera.

Chrome was gaping because she pushed Mukuro too forcefully.

Lambo, who was at the back, (and safe from all the pushing) posed with two peace signs.

And Tsuna was sandwiched between them. He was smiling widely; his eyes almost disappeared in to slits.

Timoteo then read the note on the back: _I tried my best, Ninth. I'm really sorry it turned out this way. – Tsuna._

Then, a light laughter reverberated in the room, making his guardians wonder what had given their boss such amusement.

* * *

**Years later…**

"Who's this, Reborn?" the fourteen year old candidate of the thirteenth generation of Vongola asked, curiously.

"That's the Tenth generation," the arcobaleno answered, suddenly recalling past memories. "The guy with the brown hair at the center is Decimo, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"He has the same surname as me!"

"Of course, genius. He's your great grandfather."

The teen's orange eyes gleam in interest as he stared at the picture. "Why is the Tenth's picture like this? Why isn't it formal like the others?"

The hitman smirked. "He's just too eccentric to be like the others."

~Fin~

* * *

A/N: okay... i will be updating on the second week of February, hopefully. My midterms are near so yeah... i can't write again. T^T anyway, do you guys have any suggestions for the next chappie, the Varia chapter? if you have, please let me know. it'll be highly appreciated. ^^

and thanks for reading and to those who'll leave a reveiw, thanks a lot too!

ja ne. XD


	15. Sky

A/N: HEY GUYS! Wow, it has been so long. XD well… *kneels on the ground like gokudera* sorry I couldn't make a Varia chapter. I've been hit by a bad case of writer's block so I couldn't think of anything… *sigh* I suck. I've actually started so many possible chapters, and then when I get to the middle, I lose inspiration…*bangs head on wall* sorry 'bout that… I can't help it. T_T

Shout outs:

**timisnotmyname**** –san**; heehee, thanks. ^^

**cranberryben****-san**; glad you enjoyed it. XD

**Reidluver****-san**; XD glad that tactic of mine worked. Oh, and I re-read the previous reviews (because I was looking for some requests you guys sent) and stumbled upon that one you made (it wasn't exactly a request either, but…meh) about the events that led to chapter 2… just wanna let you know that I've written it out and it's half done…I hope I can finish it soon too.

**4everFanfiction****-san**; you're welcome. ^^

**amy0213****-san;** it's my pleasure to bring a smile to your lips. ^^

**The Neo Productions****-san**; and I succeed in fooling you guys…*evil laugh* ahem, anyway…thanks for the review!

**Applestoapples**-**san**; It seems that I'm getting better at writing humor… YAY ME! XD thanks for the review! Sorry I couldn't update soon…T_T

**natcat5****-san**; thanks! And I'm glad you like kamina's speech… gotta love that guy. XD your review is very much appreciated!

**stormypeach1396****-san**; well, that's what I think; Tsuna's eccentric. Hehe. XD thanks for the review!

**cassandrajillenchantress****-san**; glad I made you laugh. ^^

**RealityBitez****-san**; well, Reborn's an Arcobaleno, after all, and I suppose he's not the type that switches sides too easily… thanks for the review!

**XienRue-san**; yes. I WILL MAKE A FIRST GEN VERSION OF THIS. XD sorry for the late reply, though. I'll make it when I'm done with the arcobaleno.

**KusajishiFuktaicho**** –san**; about that request, it's also half-done like the other chapters. I HOPE I can finish it soon…and it's okay. We all spam, every now and then, anyway. No worries. XD thanks for the review!

**SakuraHaruno9****-san**; thank you for the suggestions! And for the review too! XD

Wow. That was long. Anyway, please (I hope you will) enjoy this chappie of mine…

Dozo~

XXX

It was not real.

The mere thought of it was forbidden in their minds because simply, it _can't_ happen.

"_Tsuna! Tsuna! Hang in there, Tsuna –"_

He could hear Yamamoto's usually calm voice glazed with terror.

_(Hibari walked away.)_

He saw Lambo from a distance, with eyes shot wide open in shock. He knew the teen didn't like the sight of blood. The young Mafioso slowly sank to the ground and shut his eyes tightly. He placed his violently shivering hands on his ears and uttered something that made Tsuna tear up.

(__)

Chrome stood there frozen; her trident lying on the ground, eternally forgotten. She tried to say something but mere strangled breaths and mumbles were the only things she was able to create.

For once Ryohei had nothing to say. Those chocolate brown eyes losing life was more than enough to steal all his thoughts away.

"Tenth! Tenth!" Gokudera shouted on the top of his lungs, dreadfully trying to keep Tsuna awake. "Listen to my voice, Tenth!"

_(I'm so tired. I can't –)_

"Tenth!" he said, his voice cracking, "We're going to save you, okay? So keep listenin' to my voice –"

_(…I can't. I'm so sorry...)_

"_Tsuna!"_

He closed his eyes.

XXX

He wiped the blood off his cheek.

_(Bang bang)_

He barely gasps, remembering that irritating sound.

_(And Tsunayoshi Sawada drops dead on the ground)_

It was so wrong. It was degrading, to an extent. Gunshots weren't supposed to kill that omnivo –

_(…I can trust you, right, Hibari-san?)_

Kyoya exhales. That's right.

Everything is okay.

"Hibari!"

He turns his head, knowing that voice well.

"_Hibari_!"

His wooden sliding doors slam open and there he comes: charging in and gripping him viciously on the collar.

"Gokudera, wait –"

Within a heartbeat the cloud guardian received a hit from the silver haired guardian. Yamamoto's call wasn't so effective, after all.

"Stop it –"

In seconds the two engaged in a punching frenzy and blood was staining the straw mats like some kind of sick spray of paint.

"Fuck you!" Gokudera curses, the cloth under his grip almost tearing. "_Fuck_ _you_, bastard!"

"Oi, Gokudera –"

"What the fuck were you doing? What the _fuck_ were you doing?" he shouted loudly, voice already hoarse. "Why did you just stand there? Why didn't you help him? _Why didn't you fucking help him?"_

Hibari panted from all the striking they have been doing. His dark hair covered his eyes, well concealing the hard glare he brought upon the storm guardian.

"He trusted you," he hissed, green eyes sharper than blade, "He fucking trusted you, you bastard!"

"Get _off_ me."

"You son of a –" Hibari would have received another hit if Yamamoto hadn't stopped Gokudera.

"Let me go, damn it!" he snapped at the swordsman as he lifted himself from the tonfa wielder. "Don't get in my way!"

And the next thing they knew, Gokudera was on the ground, hit by something he wasn't prepared for.

"Shut up, Gokudera!" Yamamoto raised his voice and it was almost frightening. "Do you think Tsuna would like us to argue like this? Do you think he'd like us beating the hell out of each other? Don't be so selfish!"

"What do _you_ fucking know about the Tenth?" The bomber retorted, rising to his feet.

"Do you think Tsuna would be so proud of you? Listen to yourself!"

"I don't wanna listen to your crap," He spat out the blood on his mouth as he glared at Yamamoto. "Don't lecture me like you know me so well."

Yamamoto almost flinched at the statement; his nails already digging hard on his palm. "Fine. Do whatever you want... I don't care anymore. I –" the swordsman shook his head as if in disbelief and smiled bitterly. He turned around, gripping his dark locks as if he was going to lose it (maybe he already had) and started to walk away.

XXX

They rested him on a lacquer black coffin filled with white lilies.

He looked so peaceful; as if he was just taking a nap from all the paperwork he has been scrutinizing so patiently.

_It was time to say good bye._

And so one by one, they visited Decimo – their boss, friend, brother, son and beloved.

Nana called out her son's name tenderly, as if urging him to wake up because it's already late and he should go to his room and get some proper sleep. She stood by his casket, telling him all her plans about some well-deserved vacation or some dish that she liked him to try when he finishes his work.

Iemitsu stood by his darling, watching her silently; weeping quietly so as not to be noticed by his wife.

Fuuta came in with his ranking book. He told Tsuna the rankings he made about the things the latter loved and asked him if they were true even if he knew his questions would never be answered. He stopped midway eventually and clasped his hand on his mouth, effectively preventing the sobs from coming out.

Bianchi went next and came up to his coffin and whispered something to him. She kissed his forehead and tried to smile. She couldn't.

I-pin slowly made her way to Decimo. She bowed numerous times, thanking him for accepting a stray assassin like her into his family – a family she would have never had if she didn't meet him. She thanked him for changing her life; for giving her the choice of freedom. She hugged him tightly afterwards, tears flowing from her already puffy eyes.

Haru went in next, maintaining her calm façade. But it didn't last long like she hoped. Salty water came out of her eyes as soon as she saw his lifeless form. She didn't have any words for the emotions she had. After building up the courage she never thought she could muster, she leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips, wishing this was all just a fairy tale where one's kiss could save another from death.

Kyoko followed after her friend. Memories of the times they spent together filled her mind, making her smile sadly. She told him that she'll always be waiting for him while she brushed his brown hair like she used to when Tsuna would fall asleep on her lap when he took breaks from his daily work.

Lambo walked fast to Tsuna, tears already pouring out of his emerald eyes. He hit his chest with his fists like a child, weeping uncontrollably as he repeated the word 'liar' like a mantra. Drips of tears made its way through Decimo's flawless suit as his youngest guardian continued to weep.

Chrome, like I-pin, thanked the good Vongola boss. She told him that she was so grateful to have met such a wonderful and kind boss like him. She told him that she would never forget how many times he went to Kokuyo Land to give her some bento or rice balls or when he would go with Kyoko and Haru when the latter visits her. She would never be thankful enough for the company – for the family he provided for her to feel loved and accepted. She took his cold hand and pressed it to her cheek, incapable of stopping herself from releasing unshed tears.

Ryohei merely stood there, uttering one promise: to protect and defeat their most hated enemy in honour of his sacrifice.

Yamamoto took slow paces to his dear friend and stopped just in front of the black coffin.

"I don't know what to do anymore," He confessed, eyes now lowered as tears threatened to come. "I don't know what I should do, Tsuna. We're all…so lost," he spoke bitterly, that smile of his cheerless. "We're breaking apart," he stated, biting back tears, "The others are starting to branch away from us, even the other guardians are…" he closed his eyes, cutting himself from speaking and now powerless to stop the grief creeping through his system. "Please tell me what to do. _Please_…"

But there was no reply; there was no _miracle_.

Takeshi chuckled foolishly.

"I'm so sorry, Tsuna," he said gently, "I'm sorry for troubling you still…" He patted Decimo's chest and tried his best to smile. "Rest well, my friend."

Gokudera entered the large room where his beloved boss' coffin was placed. Striding as calm as he allows himself to, he approaches Tsuna.

"Tenth," he said breathlessly.

He bows.

"I'm so sorry," he says with unwavering voice. "I should have stayed by your side…"

And he chokes in his own grief, incapable uttering the words he longed to say.

_(I'm sorry I'm so useless. I'm sorry I couldn't see through it.)_

He falls to his knees, those salty tears now coming out of his hate filled eyes.

_(It's okay, Gokudera-kun. I'll be fine.)_

The boss knew it all along.

_(Good-bye, Gokudera-kun.)_

"You could have told me," he felt a pulsing pain in his head (or maybe it was in his heart, he wasn't sure) as he breathed in. "You should have…"

But Hayato knew Tsuna would never say anything.

He was always like that, after all.

XXX

Six made the Sky.

But without the Sky, there was no reason for the Six to exist.

And so, after they gave him their last farewell, each of them wandered away, not wanting to know what the future held for them.

~fin~

A/N: actually I wanted to make this chapter for so long… so yeah, there it is. I'll be updating next week, and if I don't, one of you guys can ask for a special chapter as my punishment. *sigh* so please let me know your thoughts. All kinds of reaction are accepted. Thanks for reading!


	16. Nana Sawada

A/N: This week's chapter is about Nana (I suppose you've figured that out by now, silly me), so I hope you guys enjoy it!

Shout outs:

**Kusajishifuktaicho-san**; *gives you some tissue* here you are… and well, I'm happy that I…well, I'm not happy that I made you cry, but…er... I suppose I'm honoured. I'll take that all as a compliment. XD and it's okay, I'm a sadist too (there it is, I admitted it! lol) and I hope I can publish that chapter soon too. ^^

**Tenpin-san**; wow, thanks. ^^ No one has told me that before. Thanks for the kind review!

**Heartless Lotus-san**; XD heehee, you're welcome. And thanks for the review!

**Kilree-san**; wow. O_O I made someone cry. I suppose I should be happy or something. XD well, thank you very much for the review!

**SakuraHaruno9-san**; I'm glad you've even found a time to read fics in the middle of your job, XD but, won't you get caught? :O anyway, thanks for the review!

**RHEA . sophie-san**; For someone to call a chapter of mine 'beautiful'… it's an honor! Thanks!

**Reidluver-san**; I really tried my best to keep them in-chara… I'm glad that paid off. XD and I do hope I finish that chapter soon.

**RealityBitez-san**; I know that death fics about him is getting old, but I can't help myself. *A* but I'm glad did it though. Thanks for the review!

**Applestoapples-san**; wow, a scene not shown in KHR…? I'm flattered. ^^ thank you very much!

**Kirika o7-san**; come on, it wasn't that sad… right? But anyway, I'm glad you liked that tiny 1827 moment on chapter 3. Thanks for the review!

**SkyGem-san**; h-he's still alive… ^^ don't worry…

**Seriyuu-san**; well, if I'm not mistaken (correct me if I'm wrong) no one really did know about the plan, except Tsuna, Hibari-san and Shou-chan. So I assumed that everyone was devastated when they found out about it. And about Gokudera knowing something, I made it that way so that the reader will think that Tsuna gave off some hints about his supposed 'death'. A kind of subliminal message, if you must. Okay, that was long. XD well, I hope you enjoy this following chapter!

Dozo~

XXX

Nana led a very simple life.

Well, not until she met Iemitsu Sawada.

You cannot blame Iemitsu for wanting a normal woman to love. Living under the mafia's influence can be asphyxiating, if not bearing a great responsibility as the external advisor to the world's most powerful mafia family can wear you out. Sometimes it came to a point when he wished Nana would have met another man; a better, more normal man than him. He didn't exactly want assassins tailing his wife when the latter goes grocery shopping, thank you very much.

So he hid everything from her. He told her pretty romantic lies and then disappeared for months, leaving the young woman wondering what galaxy his man went to.

But when morning sickness became too common for her to ignore, everything took a hundred and eighty turn.

That was when Nana decided that it was time for her to stop playing dumb. When Iemitsu went home for Valentines, he was stunned with her questions. Primo's great great grandson had no other choice; his _real_ boss was batshit pissed (despite the fact that she's still smiling sweetly).

He told her the truth.

For once Nana though she would have an asthma attack when she heard all of it.

XXX

When Nana saw her son for the first time, she thought some angel had stepped down from heaven, and took the form of a crying baby.

To feel those warm tiny hands clasping her finger unsteadily, and to feel him squirm under her gentle arms is just breath taking. He is her jewel; her treasure to protect.

She named him after a binding rope and good luck. _Tsunayoshi_.

(Twenty four years later, Reborn would be praising her for her naming skills.)

XXX

Nana is proud of her son. She truly is.

Sometimes when she and her neighbours would talk about their children's achievements, everybody would feel sorry for her because she has such a useless son, when actually, she's just too modest to say anything.

When Tsuna hit eighteen, Iemitsu told her it's time for their son to go to Italy for these so-called formalities. The routine went like this: Decimo would stay in his motherland every other year, and spend the other year in Italy, where the Vongola Boss originally resides.

And so, with Reborn, Lambo, Bianchi, Fuuta and his friends, Tsuna took off to Italy, leaving her and I-pin in that house.

Nana thought she'd been left. But she wasn't.

Tsuna called every single day, telling her about the things he did; whether it be the Italian language classes he took or the merry-making and wine-drinking habits he observed from his Italian comrades. It was as if Tsuna never did leave her side; and to this, she was grateful.

Nana would tell Tsuna some stories of her own too, like how she finished off a huge lobster she bought for lunch on her own or how I-pin became the disciplinary chairman of Nami high because she _unintentionally_ fought off some delinquents when they tried to ask her out.

Everything was okay and Nana honestly wouldn't ask for more.

And then, Byakuran came.

Everything was now in disarray and before she could even take it all Tsuna needed help because he was lying in a coffin with these irritating white flowers and everybody needed some Kleenex.

Nana didn't like the word they used to describe the situation he's in. She didn't like it at all.

Afraid to forget what he was like (no, maybe she did this because she has already lost it), she tried to remember his last words back then, when he was about to face the enemy.

'_If dad says he's a star, then I am the Sky.'_

She played it again and again in her head, trying to remember the sweet tone of his voice.

'_I am the Sky that owns all; so that when you are lonely, you can just look up and_ _remember me. I'll send the sun to rise in the morning to cheer you up; and the clouds to flutter about to amuse you. When it thunders that means I want you to hide; because the storm is coming. I'll send the mist so that you won't see or even feel the chaos; you'll be safe from all the danger. And when all of it is over, I'll send the rain to wash away all your worries and when you can see the blue; the Sky; it will all be over. It will be alright. It's a promise.'_

But when she looks up at the sky, it's all covered in smoke and embers.

But Tsuna had never broken his promises. He's her lucky binding rope; the one that has tied her to the ground so that she won't be lost. She believed him, and that is what's important.

So she waited.

XXX

One rainy day, Nana never expected Yamamoto Takeshi to appear at her doorstep.

"Tsuna promised you, didn't he?" the swordsman said, that once goofy grin of his now mature. "The rain is here." He reached out a hand. "Let's come and see the blue."

She took it happily.

Oh Tsuna, you hopeless romantic.

XXX

"Some beef and some pork and tiger shrimps and squid –"

"Isn't that too much, mom?"

"Oh hush Tsu-kun, nothing's too much when it's for you and your friends!"

Decimo sighed. Here she goes again. "Mom, you're not going to feed an entire street, you know."

"But there's Reborn-kun and I-pin-chan and Lambo-chan and Yamamoto-kun and Gokudera-kun and your friends from the disciplinary committee and –"

"I know," Tsuna placed a hand on his mother's shoulder, "But isn't five shopping carts too much for them? They're going to have indigestion at this rate."

Nana puffed her cheeks, now deep in thought. Well, Tsuna isn't complaining because of the amount he's going to spend from all of these (this is such a little thing, really) nor is it because of the difficulty he's going through by pushing four carts at the same time. Decimo just doesn't want anything to end up wasted. When they held a party last time, they had enough leftovers to feed a school.

"Alright," Nana muttered out, defeated. "I'll cut back a bit, if you say so…"

Tsuna smiled. "Thank you, mom." He pulled her for a quick little cuddle, making Nana giggle in delight. She loves it when her son is this sweet to her in public. Commonly, boys don't display this kind of affection with their mothers when they hit their twenties. But don't get me wrong; Tsuna isn't a momma's boy. He just grew up just like his father; sweet and romantic.

These things made Nana pleased. She feels a swell of pride when girls stare at her son for more than five minutes just to watch the young boss pick from the assorted groceries in the supermarket. She couldn't help to be amused when she overhears someone chattering about them being 'one of those couples'. People's imaginations these days are so crazy.

"Mom, let's go," Tsuna called out a few meters away as he pushed the two carts by himself.

But among those things, Nana could never be thankful enough because even with the tight schedule he has, Tsuna still finds time to spend with her.

"Oh, I'll be right there!" She happily answered and followed him. She snuggled close to him as she clasped his arm. "I love you so much Tsu-kun!"

"Wh-Wha –" Decimo flushed red up to his ears as he stepped back. "Don't scream out such embarrassing things, mom!"

To this, Nana just chuckled and continued cuddling her beloved son, earning a much needed sigh from Tsuna.

Nana Sawada led a simple life. In fact, a simple life is all she ever wanted.

But when she met Tsuna – her Sky – she made a decision to live with the dangers that came along her path just to hold on to her lucky, binding rope.

~Fin~

**A/N:** Apparently, _**Tsuna**_ means 'bond' or 'rope' and _**Yoshi**_ means 'good' or 'righteous' or 'Good luck'. I just picked the cuter meanings and tweaked it a bit and there it is. I do not have any reliable knowledge of the Japanese language so feel free to correct me.

Anyway, I'm thinking of giving Yamamoto a little tribute since his birthday is getting close. So, next week's update might be about our baseball nut or, it might be about Spanner. That's it. XD

Hope you guys enjoyed this chappie!

Give me some reviews 'kay? And cookies. Yum. ^/^

Love,

Lulu


	17. Rain: Happy Birthday!

A/N: does anybody know the anime "Stop! Hibari-kun!"? It's totally hilarious. XD surprisingly, it has a lot of similarities with KHR, which keeps me LOL-ing all the way. It's an 80's anime and is kinda like mariaholic.

And now that my little rant is over,

_**HAPPY BITHDAY YAMAMOTO TAKESHI!**_

OKAY. XD it's officially April 24 (in my side of the world, that is) and we need to give yamamocchan some loooove...

Shout outs:

**KusajishiFuktaicho****-san –** Wait, are you chinese? O_O Math sucks, I know. We're all pestered by that thing. *grumbles at math books* anyway, thanks for the review! Still working on the chappie for you but I've been hit with that cursed writer's block once again. TT_TT sorry. It may take a while.

**Minji-chan – **if the dark side has cookies(and mashmallows~), then take me! XD thanks for the review!

**SakuraHaruno9****-san**** – **wow, your family has a resto? Cool. I've always wanted something like that…*dreams* anyway, thanks for the review!

**x3iLoveAnime.****-san –**I'm glad that I've described them well enough for you to make mental picture of it…and… I love your avatar. *squee* sorry 'bout that. I'm just another hibird fan girl. XD

**Heartless Lotus****-san – **i want tuna as my son too… ^A^ heehee. and thanks a lot for the review!

**XienRue-san**** – **no need to thank me. it's me that should thank you. ^^ and the series 'bout the primo gen might take a while since I'm only half-way through with the arcobaleno version. I hope you can wait it out though.

**Sayaemogirl****-san – **XD heehee. I love me some mother-son fluff. Thanks for the review!

**anime-lyric-san** - *drools* chocolate-mint… *grabs some* and thanks for the review! XD

**Shinnifura-chan** – I really meant to make it as a fluffy fic but I suppose I always end up adding some drama… TT_TT sorry. And thanks for the review! ^^

**_-san** – O_O well, even though you called me a bastard I suppose that's alright. XD and thanks! I'm very glad you find these one shots 'beautiful.'

**RealityBitez-san** – If I ever become a mom I'd want Tsuna as my son. *giggles* haha, anyway, here's your request. Hope you enjoy it!

**The Neo Productions-san** – glad to have provided you with the answer. ^^ and yup, that's true. For Tsuna to be named after something that binds is very fitting since he's a boss and all. XD

**DocRose-san – **I'll get to those characters soon, so I hope you don't mind the wait. I'm glad you loved it though. ^^ and it's okay; you don't have to say sorry. Actually, you're the very first one to criticize this series and that made me very happy. I enjoy angst/drama very much and I will try to improve it. I'm pretty surprised that my humor fics are better, though. I've always thought that I suck at writing them. XD oh and thanks for including them in your community!

**Reidluver-san** - ^^ that's true. WE NEED TO GIVE MAMAN MOAR LOVE! she's the reason tuna's here. XD thanks for the review!

**Applestoapples-san** – I was like this when I saw Reborn shouting: O_O. I couldn't believe it. And wow, your theory is pretty good. Hmm. This week's chapter wasn't… exciting as I hoped. It ended too quickly. But it's good to see our resident (pineapple) fruit guardian in action.

**10th Squad 3****rd**** Seat-san – **happy that you liked the 14th chappie. XD I enjoyed writing that. And thanks for the review!

**Azureian-san – **don't worry about filling my inbox; since last month, I haven't been receiving notifications. So it's okay. XD and thank you too.

**Nightmaric-san – **Since Maman likes romance, I figured Tsuna would do things like that since he doesn't (i think) spend much time with her. Like father, like son. XD and yup, true. ^^ Amano-sama makes us very happy because of that.

**Orcux-san** – No need to thank me; it's me who should thank you guys. ^^

**NinaT3hKHRFan-san – **aww. Once again, I'm very very very happy that I have done what I can to make random people tear up at some point. *is shot* no, really, thanks. ^^ reviews like this makes me really glad!

**tessa18-san** – wow, for someone to call me awesome is… kind of ego stroking. I am guilty. XD oh and it appears that your e-mail didn't appear in your review. I assume you didn't put any spaces in. And sadly, I don't have any facebook account. Yes. I'm probably the only one who doesn't have one, but I'm just too lazy for social net-working sites. If you don't mind, can you mention your e-mail once more? Include some spaces (e.g : myadress at yahoo . com) so that it'll show up later on. Thanks!

Dozo~

XXX

Ten years in the future, Tsuna would always regret stealing that normal life away from his friend.

Ten years in the future, Tsuna would always say sorry to his rain guardian, because he was always the source of his grief.

Ten years in the future, Tsuna would always think that Takeshi deserved a better friend.

Ten years in the future, Tsuna would always regret that he was the reason Yamamoto became a killer. He was the reason that smile of his was tarnished with blood; the reason why Yamamoto was now holding a sword and not a bat.

Ten years in the future, Tsuna wished that he shouldn't have met Yamamoto Takeshi.

But of course, Tsuna doesn't know that yet. His hyper intuition isn't powerful enough to tell him that these things will happen.

XXX

"Happy birthday, Yamamoto!"

With eyes wide, Takeshi almost dropped the filed reports he was clutching under his arm.

Yamamoto hated surprises. It was irrational at the very least. But when he sees his famiglia's warm smile directed at him like a spotlight, he wouldn't dare to waste it over his preferences.

Like almost all of the celebrations made by the Vongola, everything was extravagant. The food was exceptional; the company even special. Jokes and stories about random things flowed like wine in these occasions. If you happen to pass by, you won't even suspect that these people kill for a living. It was a happy gathering of these tightly-knitted people; everybody dropped their problems and concerns for a while and became normal individuals who laughed at absurd gags and enjoyed each other's company.

Yamamoto loved that. Reborn once told him that bond separates Sicilian Mafia from the rest of the other organized crimes, and, seemingly peculiar as it may appear to be, it was true.

He swings that bat unforgivingly (just like how he swings that blade) as always, leaving his opponents in awe.

"Come on, Yamamoto," Tsuna complained as he scratched his head. "Can't you at least let us win this time?"

Takeshi wasn't exactly sure how they suddenly began to play baseball, but he was enjoying himself too much that he had lost track of his thoughts. "No can do, Tsuna," he smiled, "Cheating is prohibited."

"Screw this," Gokudera cursed, dropping the ball on the ground as he reached for a cigarette. "Why do we even try to beat you if we already know we'll lose?"

Yamamoto just laughed, making his best friend sigh.

"But we'll never know if we don't try!" Tsuna lightened up suddenly, like a bulb that has been lighted. Ryohei threw his fists in the air and asked a re-match, but through boxing, this time. Gokudera lashed out at the sun guardian, earning a few laughs from everyone.

_Just like this, _Takeshi thought to himself, _I want everything to freeze and stay like this._ Takeshi loved these little moments that he almost wants to put it in a painting and hang it on a wall. It's a masterpiece.

"Everyone!" Tsuyoshi calls out, with Nana beside him, "Dinner's ready!"

A cheers and comments floated in the air, warming the atmosphere as they walked back to the mansion. Only faint tints of oranges can be seen in the horizon, signalling that the sun has gone to sleep for this day. Tsuna walked to the ball that Gokudera dropped and picked it up, admiring the stitches on its dirty white skin.

Perhaps, Yamamoto thought, that he was just like that ball, thrown into different situations. He was batted by different instances that made him take multiple paths. And he too, dropped just like that ball; mudded and worn out.

But Tsuna always picked him up.

"Let's go," Decimo said in his calm baritone voice as he waited for his friend to move along with him.

Yamamoto knew Tsuna always regretted the fact that he dragged him out of his normal life. But he never regretted that. He never held a grudge once.

Yamamoto would never get tired of telling Tsuna that there is nothing to be sorry about. He never considered him to be the source of his grief. Conversely, he'll never get tired of thanking him for all the things he's done for him.

Yamamoto always thought that he never deserved a friend like Tsuna. He was too kind for him.

Yamamoto would always choose his sword over his bat, if it's for his friends. He'll happily embrace hell if it would save his loved ones.

Ten years ago, Takeshi Yamamoto should have been dead. But he met the wimpy Tsunayoshi Sawada; the boy who snapped him back to reality and brought him to what he is now. He wished that someday, if ever he was reincarnated, he'd still cross paths with the brown haired boy with that ridiculous flame on his head.

"Okay." Takeshi grinned and began to strike up a conversation with his best friend as they strode side by side.

But of course, Tsuna doesn't know that. He's too much of a humble worry wart to notice.

~fin~

A/N: This one's a bit short, coz I think a chapter for Yamamoto needn't be as long as the others. His relationship with 27 is kinda clear so… yeah. There you go. And I think my notes are even longer than the actual chapter. O_O

Anywho, please do drop a review!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lulu


	18. Cloud: Happy Birthday!

A/N: I feel like I've been stabbed, run over by a car, decapitated, hung, and thrown down a cliff. I feel like I've been fucked by some monster and I didn't have the power to fight it off. I feel like shit. May 5 is not a good day for me. I think I've never cried so many times in one day. I hate crying. I _hate_ it.

I don't know what's with my family, but honestly, I've just had enough.

I won't call names, I won't cuss, I won't say 'why is this thing happening to me' crap. I'm not a drama queen so don't worry, I won't make your eyes bleed.

Man, I really need some beer right now. Or Kyoya and his tonfa. Hit me.

Shout outs:

**SakuraHaruno9****-san – **hmm, yeah. That really sucks. X(I wish _I_ could work though. Thanks for the review!

**KusajishiFuktaicho****-san – **you never fail to put a smile on my face when I read your review, you know that? XD and *hugs you back* no need to thank me. I've been thinking of doing a first gen version of this a while back anyway, but I'm just too lazy to put it in motion.*is shot* yeah, I'm reeaally lazy when it comes to these things. And about that typo, I corrected it. thanks for noticing it! (there goes the proof that I don't check my finished stories often *_*) sorry 'bout that. Thanks once again!

**anime-lyric****-san – **thanks! Glad you liked it. ^^

**Heartless Lotus****-san – **XD yup, they are best friends. Thanks for your review!

**10th Squad 3rd Seat****-san – **thank you! XD

**kikirin****-san – **I admit this isn't my best chapter, so… I'm really sorry Yamamoto! *kneels on ground and bows* hehe, sorry. He does need moar love. XD thanks for the review!

**shinnifura-chan**** – **thanks for the awesome review!

**XienRue-san**** – **it depends, if I'm not too lazy to, I will. XD thanks for the review!

**Applestoapples-san**** – **presents! *jumps* and you were right. ASDFGHJKL. Mukuro's body has just earned extra eyes. O_O somehow reminds me of Alucard. thanks for the review!

**MinjiRoxx****-san**** – **yes, I did see. He looked kinda gay at first but … meh. Muku's still hot either way. And Daemon! Oh my goodness he's such a…*grumbles* anyway, tnx for the review!

**Reiyayru****-san**** – **thanks for the compliment. ^^ glad you liked it.

**Reidluver****-san**** – **thank you. ^^ oh, I think I'd be posting that chapter you asked on Lambo's birthday. Is that okay? Sorry 'bout that. T_T anyway, thanks for the review!

**Takagouzawa Hikari-san**– it's okay. ^^ thanks for leaving one!

**L.L-san**** - ***high fives with you* I thought of that too! XD anyway, thanks for the review!

**x3iLoveAnime.****-san**** – **Thanks! XD

**RealityBitez****-san**** – **yup, there is such a thing. Their top student is even named yamamoto. XD it's hilarious. Anyway, thanks for the review!**  
**

Dozo~

XXX

One of the responsibilities of a mafia boss is to know his comrades. By this, the boss will gain the complete trust and undying loyalty of those working for him. So Tsuna was expecting Reborn to suddenly appear one day and give him a ton of profiles about all of Vongola's employees, but instead, he found seven folders neatly placed on his desk.

And the names on each one baffled him.

Gokudera Hayato.

Yamamoto Takeshi.

Lambo.

Sasagawa Ryohei.

Dokuro Chrome.

Rokudo Mukuro.

Hibari Kyoya.

It didn't really made sense at first, but from all the thinking he has done for the past five minutes, he figured what Reborn wanted him to do.

Tsuna doesn't really know much about them. _His_ guardians, of all people. Gokudera did tell him things about his past, but the six others simply didn't bother to tell him anything about themselves. Well, _he_ really didn't bother to ask them; Tsuna figured it was kinda rude to do so. He often wondered why Yamamoto never mentioned his mother, or where Ryohei and Hibari's parents were. Tsuna knew Chrome was named Nagi before Mukuro came into the picture, and that Lambo's birth parents were dead, but his knowledge ended there.

The eight of them shared a strong bond (he wasn't really sure about Mukuro and Hibari, but nonetheless, he trusted them) and yet he, as their Sky, knew so little about them.

And so, one by one, Decimo started his search for the answers to all of his questions.

Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, Lambo, and Chrome opened up to him so quickly that it surprised him. But of course, there's Mukuro and Hibari.

You can't barge in to their rooms and ask some questions. It didn't work like that with those two. So he opted for another method.

He investigated them.

Tsuna decided to go for his external advisor first: Hibari Kyoya.

Hibari is a secretive man. He didn't like connections. He hated crowding. Being an anti-social guy, one couldn't really find out much about Nami middle's once disciplinary chairman.

But of course Tsuna wasn't exactly just another human being.

And so he searched. And when the answers turned its face to him, he was surprised because of what it revealed.

**1.**

Kyoya is the only son of a very rich family; a family who has ties with the military. He's half Chinese, half Japanese.

His father, who has some Italian lineage, is responsible for his silver grey eyes and his handsome features. He serves the country as a high-ranking military official. Status: alive.

His mother gave him her feistiness and stubbornness that later, he became famous for. Mama Hibari originally came from Mainland China, from a family of martial artists. She was probably the one responsible for Kyoya's deadly tonfa skills. Status: alive.

With the lack of their presence in Kyoya's life, Tsuna began to worry. They certainly weren't divorced. And Kyoya _certainly_ was living absolutely fine without them. So why? Why would someone leave their own child at such a young age?

Decimo decided to ask Kusakabe.

"It was a matter of upbringing," He answered, "Kyo-san's parents are strong people. I remember, back in middle school, when he first allowed me to come into his house," Kusakabe smiled, "I took notice of this one picture, hidden among some books. It was their family picture. He looked so much like his father, except for those almond shaped eyes that came from his mother. I thought he was going to bite me to death when he saw me holding the frame," he laughed, recalling his memories, "But he didn't. He just stared at me, and then I asked – to this day I couldn't believe I did – I asked where they were."

"And then? What did he say?" Tsuna pushed on, wanting to know more.

"_I don't know_." Kusakabe restated Kyoya's words, "_Nor do I care._"

Tsuna's deep hazel eyes widened.

"I didn't get it." He continued, "I thought maybe his parents mistreated him, but my suspicion was cleared when I got to meet one of them."

"I met his father," Kusakabe stated, his face turning serious, "He's quite scary, in fact. I met him accidentally when I went to Kyo-san's house to report some matters. He was about to get in this lacquer black car when he spotted me. That cold stare he gave me was quite chilling, but it made me realize some things. I understood what kind of parents they were. I don't know if you'd follow this idea – it might be a little crazy, I must admit."

Tsuna nodded, and with this Kusakabe finished, "Think of them as a family of predators. Carnivores often drive their young away to fend for themselves, don't they?"

The idea wasn't exactly correct in Decimo's view. Hibari-san's parents do love their son; it may be in this odd twisted way, but they still cared for him. They supplied him with the necessities he needed for everyday life (who do you think pays for all of his fees?); just like every other parent out there.

It's just that they didn't supply him with much needed attention.

Tsuna began to think that this led to Hibari's irrational abhorrence to social relationships. He was practically alone most of his life. Tsuna imagined living in that large, traditional Japanese house all by himself, with no one to share your joys, your frustrations and sorrows.

_He_ wouldn't survive in those conditions. He was sure of it.

**2.**

From the moment he was born into this world, _she_ was there.

She watched him grow. She was there when his mother taught him his lethal moves while his father assisted him in his training. She was there when he made his first victory over an enemy. She watched when he entered middle school and became the disciplinary chairman. She knew how much he loathed Rokudo Mukuro as he knelt there in his illusions, sinking in defeat. She was there when he became Tsunayoshi Sawada's strongest ally. She was there to feel the pride swelling in his chest when he rose as one of the deadliest predators in the world.

She was ever present in his life; she saw his triumphs and downfalls. There may be no secrets between them: a flawless relationship indeed.

And yes, Hibari Kyoya loves her. He loves her a little more than fighting, and to that she's grateful. So many had benefited from her but no one appreciated her like he does. She loves him too, of course; he keeps her safe and at peace, after all. She's his possession; a territory he fights to keep.

I don't know about you, but if ever Namimori would magically turn into a person, Tsuna thinks that she'd definitely be the luckiest living thing here on earth.

**3. **

Kyoya loves hamburgers. Yummy, aren't they?

Dino knew this fact when he got tonfa'd for giving his student a fancy cake for his birthday. So when he asked him what he wanted, his answer made him run (well, actually it was Romario who did all the running) to the nearest McDonalds.

And yes, Hibari Kyoya is the only person who can live off from Mcstuff and survive. And that stupid movie about eating anything but McDonalds for a month? Psshh. Nonsense.

So why does he like hamburgers, exactly?

Is it because it tastes good? Not really. Hibari thinks ujikintoki kakigori is yummy as well, but it didn't come to a point that he almost always wanted to eat it every day.

Is it because the dude working in every fast food chain or restaurant he ever visited is scared of him so much that they give what he wants for free? Nope. He has enough money to hire a chef to cook for him, so that mustn't be it.

Tsuna knew the answer lies within Hibari-san himself. But of course, he isn't too crazy to ask him.

So maybe he'll never know that Hibari Kyoya likes hamburgers because his father, from time to time, took him to fast food chains, ordering the kiddie meal for his son because he's been such an excellent boy. Tsuna will never know that Papa Hibari is so busy that he only spends twenty to thirty minutes with his son in that restaurant, and after Kyoya had finished his meal, the earlier leaves for work.

Tsuna will never know that hamburgers may or may not have a little bit of a sentimental value for his cloud guardian. He'll never know if he doesn't get just a little bit more guts to ask him directly.

**4.**

Fon perhaps or probably knows Hibari. Which of the two is it, you ask?

It's the latter. No, really. They're undoubtedly related by blood.

Fon knows 107 styles of martial arts other than Gyoza-ken. And one of those is – yup, you guessed it – the art of using the tonfa. So it goes naturally that these martial art styles run in the blood line.

Fon didn't tell Tsuna if he's Kyoya's grandfather, or uncle, or any other relative for that matter; however, he did admit being related to his mother. He kindly asked Decimo to keep it a secret, though. He knows Kyoya's a bit disturbed by the similarities they share, and finding that they're really related in some way might finally blow his fuse off.

You know, sharing a face with the first Vongola cloud guardian _and_ an immortal cursed baby doesn't sound too cool as it seems, thank you very much.

**5.**

Kyoya ranks dead last in Fuuta's horny ranking. We aren't precisely sure as to why the ranking prince did list such a scandalous ranking, but it's really true.

Yes, Hibari Kyoya does threaten people in a rather kinky way (if you're interpreting 'I'll bite you to death 'in _that_ sense,) but the guy really doesn't have an ounce of perverseness in his oh-so sexy body. Heck, even Giannini is kinkier than him.

To this, Dino Cavallone was more than happy to attest.

Back in their training days, he once delivered a dirty joke to his tonfa-totting student about those handcuffs of his, but the latter didn't even get the joke. The blond boss thought this might be Kyoya showing his very rare side; a side who knows how to fool around.

But no, Dino was horribly mistaken.

And so after a few minutes of laughing and much deliberation on his part, he assumed Kyoya is still a virgin. (For a moment, Tsuna rejoiced for knowing he wasn't the only one who hasn't got laid when he was seventeen.) And of course, being the good and nice tutor that he is, he _helped_ his student out of the possible mockery on his pride as a man.

…

If you just thought that Dino did something improper with Kyoya, well, you're wrong. Unfortunately, Dino isn't kinky enough to do that with our resident tonfa wielder. Though, he did manage to coax Kyoya to bang a hooker. Tsuna didn't (want to) ask how he did it, although he was sure he used something like crack or liquor, and probably asked the woman to include a lot of bondage in their uh, little intimate time together.

After that Kyoya didn't appear to have changed at all. He didn't stare at pretty girls much, nor paid any attention to voluptuous women. But after Dino saw him fighting Suzuki Adelheid…

He instantly knew what turned him on.

It was power.

That was why he liked fighting so much. He was addicted to it. He was addicted to the rush of dominating someone who was as aggressive as him.

So that was when Dino and Tsuna agreed on one thing: Kyoya's going to have a hard time getting a woman to love him as he is.

If there's anyone willing and cracked up to marry him, that is.

**6.**

Hibari Kyoya will only kill you if you're as powerful as him; or, if possible, when you're stronger than him.

Tsuna knows this because whenever his cloud guardian fought, he left the 'lesser' opponents barely hanging on the thread of life. He doesn't deliver the last blow. It has two meanings: one is that it's some kind of sign he delivers for everyone to see – that he is the apex predator; that whoever challenges his authority will bow down before him in defeat. The second one is that it's a message to all the weak herbivores he had bitten near to death: that they should quit being pathetic and get stronger already. And when they do, they should come back for him. Hibari believes in revenge. It is the sweetest thing, indeed.

So in the long run, the weak are luckier than the strong ones. They have a chance to survive Hibari Kyoya, but the other one…not so much.

And besides, picking on the weak hurts his pride.

**7.**

Hibari Kyoya is sane because Tsuna exists.

Reborn told him that. "We all need someone to keep us in check,"he remembers the hitman's statement, "Just like how everyone else in the famiglia keeps you from falling into the asylum, Dame-Tsuna."

"We may all rot in hell in the end, but you must always remember that we are different from monsters. Monsters kill for no reason. _We don't do that_."

**8.**

Kyoko and Haru thinks Hibari Kyoya is quite the nice guy despite of the antipathy he holds for the mist guardian. They never had seen him hurt Chrome, after all.

But he just fights fair. Chrome is still weak in his eyes. If the time comes that she'd be as deadly as her male counterpart, Kyoya would gladly kill her.

Kyoya does not look at gender as a gauge to determine strength. That's just absurd. He thinks Suzuki Adelheid and Lal Mirch are strong opponents, and will be more than happy to bite them dead anytime.

He's not a gentleman. He's _not_ nice.

**9.**

Kyoya doesn't know how to react to love.

That sounds very troublesome to Tsuna. In fact, he was there when I-pin confessed to her long time, childhood love. Call it sneaky and rude, but you can't blame Tsuna – who knows what Hibari-san will do to her when he hears those three words?

"I admire you very much," Tsuna recalls I-pin fidgeting under his heavy gaze, "For a very long time, I've been… I've liked you, Hibari-san."

And the following words he uttered shocked Decimo.

"I don't understand."

I-pin stood there, her eyes wide open in confusion. "I… That means I love you, Hibari-san."

"Why?" he asked, and Tsuna knows, he just knew that the question his cloud guardian said is not a mocking one.

"Because… Because," the fifteen year old girl lit like a bulb, not knowing what to say. "Because… I just do. I can't actually explain why, I just…"

"Why can't you explain it?" Oh, this is torture. You can just imagine how many shades of red had coated I-pin's face.

"Hibari-san…" the Chinese martial artist sighed in defeat, "I don't think I can explain love. In words, that is. Love is like that. People just know what it means. Just like… How you like fighting. I don't know why you like it so much, but I think… it's kinda similar. Do you understand what I want to say?"

Kyoya just stared at her, probably mulling over her words.

"B-But, you don't have to feel obliged to be nice to me," she said, smiling, "I know I'm too young. So it's okay – I just want to say it. I – of course I want you to like me back, but that can't be helped. If Hibari-san doesn't want to consider me, that's fine."

"Hmm."

"You don't have to tell me right away, either," she smiled still, "So it's okay. I know you're busy. So…I –" For a moment Tsuna wanted to punch Hibari for making I-pin make that face, "I'll be going then."

She ran away. And of course Tsuna knows she's crying.

Because that silence can also mean rejection.

Hyper intuition tells him otherwise.

He even tried to explain it to him. Tsuna told him that Kusakabe's loyalty to him is love. That the mere thought of Dino bringing him hamburgers from time to time or when he visits him for no particular reason is love. When he trusted him to be his external advisor; his confidant when they faced the Millefiore – that is a form of love.

Maybe he failed explaining it to him for Kyoya to be silent after his little monologue.

**10.**

The skylark sings in flight. It sings when it is free.

Kyoya is no different.

Tsuna knows Hibari Kyoya cherishes freedom more than anything else. But, he also knows how to be cautious about that freedom he has.

He promised that he'd bite up even the Sky, after all.

~Fin~

**A/N:**

*It's really true that hibarin likes hamburgers and ujikintoki kakigori. It's on the character book (the burger part, I think) and the tankobon (the kakigori; volume 17). If you're not familiar, Ujikintoki kakigori is shaved ice with green tea syrup and sweet azuki beans (they're red beans, I believe).

Yeah.*sigh* Happy birthday, Kyoya.

See you guys next time.


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